David DeGraw posted an update in the group 
A99: 8 months, 1 week ago · View
Back home from Liberty Park. It is nice to know that I will be sleeping in a comfortable bed tonight, but pretty depressing that we didn’t get enough people willing to stand up and occupy the park. Despite thousands of emails, tweets, comments and a video that already has 200,000 views, only four people in NYC were ready to put serious action behind their words. (At this point, I don’t know how all the other actions went, so I’ll hold off on commenting on them.)
It seems everyone is content just tweeting and writing strong comments, passively waiting and hoping that other people will do the hard work for them. Unfortunately, as most of you already know, we don’t have much time left to turn things around, some think it is already too late.
Hopefully, now that we have brought a lot of much needed attention to these issues and this movement we can keep building and most of the people who just found out about this, and sat on the sidelines this time, will realize that they actually need to take action next time.
The most frustrating part is that we had so much media attention on this, if only a few hundred people were willing to occupy the park this would have quickly escalated.
I would like to thank Gary Roland, Oren Clark and Kevin Dann – the only other people in all of NYC who were ready to answer this call today and take a stand. It was great spending time with you guys. I’m sure we will meet again very soon.
As disappointed as I am now, given the attention we were able to get online, which obviously doesn’t translate into action, I know that we are building awareness. Americans may not be ready yet, but it is just a matter of time before that awareness grows into the action we need. After all, this was just the first day of the Empire State Rebellion. That’s what we need to keep in perspective. Rome wasn’t built in a day and Rome will not be conquered in a day. We’re getting there, I just hope we can get there before it’s too late.
David,
Great meeting you today. In collaboration with #Bloombergville we were able to establish a camp at 1 Centre street at 7pm tonight. Sometimes patience is a virtue… Please help us get out the word. Committees are forming tonight and we will start voting on referendums tomorrow…
~GARY
great! send me any info you have, I will get it out tomorrow morning.
It was actually a great experience for me, meeting both of you and Kevin. It’s a strong core, and I’m optimistic despite the low turnout. We learned, and now we continue. You’re a great leader, David, and I’m honored to be part of your crew. O
I am also disappointed but not willing to give up. I drove to Flint today, and no one else showed up. I’m just curious as to who chose Flint as a location.
Good on you.
also there are about 100 new amped users in the last 24 hrs.
Well, if you organize it on a weekday it’s no surprise that you get no response. People are too busy trying to scrape a living together.
First, it’s a beginning. There has been a huge response, and that means people are learning and educating themselves about the issues – real issues, not the diversions we are usually force fed by the major media.
Second, we will have trouble measuring the effect of today’s effort. While there were only a handful of people making a stand outside my local (and fairly rural) Chase branch, many more showed up to close their accounts. And the number grew throughout the day. I doubt any of the big banks are going to come out to say ”Wow, we lost a whole lot of business on June 14th.” Likely, they’ll try to ignore us and hope we go away.
The big bank hope is a lost cause, however. Because today, we woke up THOUSANDS people. Our numbers are about to grow exponentially.
Pour the champagne – we’ve let the cat out of the bag!
For me personally your causes talking points and site presentation were right on the money, and many should think likewise.
Although I hate to Monday morning quarterback from Hawaii, maybe the fact that it was NYC (the heart of the beast) and many of the people who would participate can barely afford to drive to the store let alone go to an expensive place like NYC played a factor? I know open banks were the target, but with a Tuesday venue you are taking out many folks working day. My son in DC would have gone, but he was finally lucky enough to have found a decent job and just couldn’t do this. This Tuesday venue probably was a factor.
I think rather than target banksters directly I would suggest the idea of a national revival message (take back your country from kleptocrats). I think low taxes on corporations and the super wealthy should be an issue.Both parties have sold out on that.
http://americansresistance.blogspot.com/2011/05/corporations-and-plutocrats-given-tax.html
I would urge you to bounce back, even shame your contact list a little, then shoot for another follow up event. Go for a more blue collar city like Philadelphia and then have the audacity to do it downtown there on Saturday July 2 and try to take it through the 4th of July. Just stay put, as that gives plenty of time for a large population in the region to arrive on the scene similar to what happened in Madrid.
Karma’s a bitch isn’t it?! Maybe next time around try getting your own house in order first.
http://ampedstatus.org/network/groups/resources-for-a-revolution/forum/topic/the-road-through-2012-where-is-it/
wow
The VAST majority of Americans aren’t really ready to stand up yet. Hell, I question if I really am either. The tech privileged nerd class may tweet/blog/facebook/irc about it a hell of a lot, but the vast majority of Americans are not oppressed or displaced enough to give them cause for real revolt. Yet… #seeyainafewyears
People aren’t going to like a lot of what I have to say, but if we don’t criticize ourselves, what makes us any better than the corrupt ones in power?
It’s noble of the 4 people to show up in NYC. There were probably 12 people nationwide from what I gather. It’s a shame there weren’t more, but seriously — we should ask ourselves what would have been accomplished even if there were 12,000 nationwide…..120,00 maybe? It doesn’t matter. The technique of civil gathering to produce change is rendered completely futile in 21st century America. We have ”free speech zones” at rallies…..”protest permission forms” for fuck’s sake. A few hundred people attempt to disrupt the system by gathering at a fountain, & the cops make sure everything stays nice & civil by herding the protesters into an area that doesn’t restrict the flow of everyday life. It reduces the protestors to a nostalgia-inducing curiosity for political wannabes & politourists…..more like a petting zoo than a rebellion. (”Honey! Get a picture of Timmy in the drum circle!”) If you’re staying within the confines of the law to get your rebellion underway, it just ain’t civil disobedience. And if it isn’t civil disobedience, it might as well just be a reality show.
Update the forms of resistance & learn the skills you need to do it. Education is 100% free in America. Any strategist will tell you the reason guerrilla warriors are so successful is because they know how to adapt. Don’t get stuck in this ”raising awareness” shit. The goal isn’t to educate idiots & couch potatoes, it’s to bring about change. Learn a new skill & make a real move, and don’t worry about when people find out about it. If your method is good, they’ll find out soon enough on their own.
Hey – I don’t know if anyone’s reading this, but to David Degraw and others who were at Liberty Park, thank you. I’m not sure, but it’s possible you all may have gotten left in the lurch about 7-plus hours ago (around when you posted your message, above David) because of the following tweets, which I’ll share below:
DougSingsen Doug Singsen
by pcvcolin
#Bloombergville & #nyccamp has been ejected from the 1 centre to across the street in front of city hall. #opesr (5 hrs ago)
DougSingsen Doug Singsen
by pcvcolin
#bloombergville & #nyccamp rally & speak out @ city hall 7pm tom. Cops have stopped harrassing us & we r bedding down 4 the night #opesr (4 hrs ago)
So there you have it. Two tweets, the last one about 4 hours ago, explaining basically that the NYCCAMP (LibertyCamp) had to move from Zucotti Park (Liberty Park – LibertyCamp) to 1 Centre and then ended up getting kicked out of there, where they ended up joining forces with bloombergville. It’s my understanding the hashtags now look something like this: #OpESR #NYCCAMP #libertycamp #bloombergville
Or alternately, just #OpESR #nyccamp #bloombergville (from anyone tweeting from the joint bloombergville-nyccamp event which is now at City hall)
Hope I have been of some help here!
Just reading this n feel soo disappointed
(, I’m in UK and not even sure what support network we have, here. If you are aware of the truth you then become so mistrustful of others and even tho i’m trying to add friends via fb people do not reply. I want to put the message out there somehow and any suggestions would be very welcome. I spose we just gotta keep battling and do what we do and not give up. Here’s to a Global Revolution before the world is destroyed by the sheeple!
I was very proud of yesterday and today, and I am proud of us for the days to come. Some are more ready than others, we realize the system has succeeded in enmeshing many through various means, financial traps, education system dulling the critical thinking capacity, programmed media. You know, it’s really not surprising there were only a handful camping even in such a populous place as NYC. I applaud them. Even four represent millions, perhaps millions who are so entrapped in feeding their families, working for the almighty dollar, trying not to lose their home, some might even worry about ”credit”… how am I going to pay my student loan, or car loan. Until you’ve broken free and realized the sham, the endless circles of the system that needs to fall in order for you to live again as a human being and not a fearful slave of money, it’s going to be hard to drag your ass off the sofa and camp in the park for an extended period. But I assure you there are millions camping in that park, they just aren’t there yet. Peace and coeur-age
”The goal isn’t to educate idiots & couch potatoes, it’s to bring about change.”
To bring about change one must educate the idiot couch potatoes and then get them off their couches. Change can happen politically when it happens socially. Can we expect solitary individuals to embrace the general welfare of their own society? One might as well expect a grasshopper to become an ant. This is what our society has become, grasshoppers fiddling their summer away. The owners divide us into ants and grasshoppers by implying that everyone is an ant abused by the grasshoppers who sponge from their hard work. Owners ignore the real ants, or laugh at them or fight them but the ants can’t win without the grasshoppers. Grasshoppers believe they are ants but refuse to confront their own fiddling as they elect the next American Idol. We must teach the grasshopper there is more to life than fiddling and that it can be found in the streets and among the ants. Change requires changing hearts and minds, to use the cliche.
Some have written about the need for a third party in America. There is already a de facto third party, the Independents, and there may be more of them then either of the other two parties. I don’t mean the fringe third parties that have independent or independence in their names. No, similar to Anon meme where anyone can be anon by virtue of being unknown, an Independent is independent by virtue of being registered politically but not aligned with either party. If elections are still fair and free in the USA, then it is the Independent that turns the tide. It may be that Anon can not bring about the change it seeks without a political component, much like the IRA could not reach a political resolution in Ireland without Sinn Fein. However, I don’t know so I’m still learning. I am but one bee, doing my waggle dance for the hive.
I totally agree with most of what you said, but ”raising awareness” is a copout. If the IRA just sat around ”raising awareness”, they wouldn’t have the reputation they do now. They make commitments to action & follow through. they don’t stand around beating on buckets downtown. You want ”the enemy” to take notice, you disrupt their shit, plain & simple. Read Sun Tzu & see how many chapters are dedicated to educating people (who probably are already aware of the conditions & situations, anyway).
The fact is, people were educated. Over 20,00 hits to the video releases in a couple of days. Yet only 4 people had the heart to show up for this misguided thing. What does that tell you? It tells me there are over 20,000 had their hearts in the right place, but they also had plenty of excuses to not make a plan, commit to an action, or risk their OWN asses. I’m sure you realize this. It’s all anybody’s talking about today.
If your mission is good, the people will get educated & stand up too, WITHOUT the need for a leader. Set an example if you have to show people what’s up & how it works, but DO something. The education route will NEVER get an American pulled from a position of power in good time. It took 25 years for all the energy & climate bills to pass….what makes you want to keep Bernanke in charge of your finances for that long? Education is not the goal. Change is.
They failed to show up because they fail to understand why their excuses should not bar them from acting. The fail to understand the need. The only thing that will alter that perception is to change their minds. Raising awareness IS a cop out. Much of Sun Tzu’s writings are about preparation. Are many saying that the USA is not ready? Why are they not ready? Because they do not understand the urgency. Many people don’t care. They go to work, they shop, they eat, they sleep and they watch. The do not make or act. Yelling at them to WAKE UP and/or DO SOMETHING will only convince them that the person yelling at them is either crazy or an asshole. Don’t assume I want to keep the status quo. If there is a new way, I’ll be the first in line but, it had better WORK this time. I’m not about to advocate for social experimentation over hardship. There in lies madness and the opportunity to exploit people.
The IRA did direct action. It got attention. That is not my balliwick. I’m a diplomat, with all my faults and ideology. Also, I’m very new to this. My short term goal is to assess the political will of Anons and what their goals are. There is an interesting blend of Socialist and Libertarian ideas. I have to decide for my self if I can agree enough on balance to commit to this cause. The example I set is through my words. You will never change anything until you change minds. It is the minds that decide to make excuses instead of deciding to act.
If we’re talking about shaping an entire population’s opinion, then education is one feasible path. But education is far from instant.
If we’re talking about stripping someone of their power, then action must be taken immediately, before they get more of it. (They’ve already got a head start in that department.)
If we’re talking about stripping someone’s power AND educating the world, then action must be immediate, effective & novel enough to convince the people that it’s worth remembering.
This doesn’t always have to be in the form of an illegal activity. I know a lot of people are reluctant to get their hands dirty. It just takes creativity & commitment. There are a million things that have never been done before & therefore can’t even be considered illegal. But it MUST produce a real effect.
Just like people have been saying all over these boards: people won’t stand up & fight until their own shit is fucked up. When their comfort & safety & SUVs are gone, they might finally stand up & make a change.
Same for the bank heads. They won’t stand up & fight until they’re given a reason to. And until you engage them, you can not defeat them.
The goal must be clear, & the plan must be critically designed to produce specific results. When anon’s latest press is merely that it exists, something has gone wrong. The world knows there are anonymous dissidents out there….it’s planet Earth. But when someone anonymously plants a script that causes disruption to a bank’s infrastructure, or denies commercial services to their partners & subsidiaries or customers, then suddenly they’re forced to take action. It might not be the takedown move, but this could open the door & leave them vulnerable to another (hopefully more effective) attack from another source or a different angle. Has Mortal Kombat taught us nothing??
People do not have to loose something, well, maybe some do. I think most will recognize a threat to their current status and future prosperity. The crux is risk. As you say, most don’t want to get their hands dirty even if they recognize the threat. We need a ways for those who sympathize to act with minimal risk until the willingness to take risk is greater. Is there some way we can mitigate this risk through organization? People with jobs and families can’t realistically occupy public spaces indefinitely. However, they can support those who can. People can do things but they need instruction on what they can do so they can asses where their strengths lie and what they CAN commit to. Here in WI, a pizza place in Madison took donation orders fro around the world and delivered pizza to protesters at the Capital. Those who CAN occupy public spaces will need logistical support. How do we make that happen?
Make that six! I spent hours on trains getting there with my girlfriend. I actually brought a tent and food, which I lugged around on my back all day through NYC after seeing no action at the plaza or park. It really blows my mind that in such a massively overpopulated city so few turned out. I showed up at the plaza at about 11:30, with nothing going on I was left to speculate if things where just broken up already, but anyway… I’m glad to know somebody somewhere is trying to do something, anything!
This breaks my heart, but exactly, great concept but poorly conceived. Madrid was a success because they had 200 people who were totally dedicated that showed up and STAYED. It grew from there over several days. I know 200 are good for this in America.
You need to find those 200 people or 300 Spartans, and have them show up on SATURDAY morning, July 2 at Franklin Square in Philadelphia (a blue collar town and more symbolic) and immediately start twittering and You Tubing VISUAL messages of protest. Call it the Independence from Robber Barons rally and run it right through July 4th ( a Monday). I bet thousands would start showing up. Downtown Philadelphia has plenty of definable public spaces and squares to handled the spillover.
http://www.truthdig.com/report/page3/no_justice_in_kafkas_america_20110613/#408444
It’s hard to get people to operate beyond their comfort zone. It takes preparation and solidarity. One almost has to set up ’Action Camps’ for activists to bring solidarity to the fore. I’ve been there and done that! Keep pluggin, it takes time and determination. ~Peace~
I fear that humans, being the creatures of comfort that we are, will not ”take action” until they suffer much,much more at the hands of the corporatocracy. When they lose their SUVs, plasma TVs and 24/7 ESPN channels, they might start to stir. Cynical, I know–but it’s the vibe I get from those I try to share my observations with. It’s demoralizing.
I agree wholeheartedly with this sentiment, the people of this society have been conditioned quite well by the ruling class to be ambivalent and with reality shows ubiquitous on TV, why would you want to leave your house when you can experience ”reality” without leaving. But Lisa is quite right, penury will bring protest but until then, don’t expect much, Eddie Bernaise made sure that we are all mesmerized by bullshit.
I am completely agree with what you are saying. Its like you read my mind. Good luck with the further projects David!
http://www.righttocancel.com/questions.html
There were three senior citizens standing for an hour on June 14 on Stoney Creek Bridge in Pasadena, Maryland. We are not physically able to stand any longer, but we were with the New York City effort with all our hearts. In the hour we stood with signs saying ”End the Fed” and ”Bermanke, Resign,” we got 21 honks from cars passing. One was a school bus. We also sang together with our three voices, ”When the Saints Go Marching In” with the lines, ”And when Bernanke Resigns” and ”And when the Fed comes crashing down.” As we seniors were taught in school, ”Mighty oaks from little acorns grow.” We will go back to the bridge and hope to enlarge out numbers as we pick up indications that the time is right to add our small energies to the mix.
I have emailed so many articles, videos, blogs, resource sites to anyone I can get to listen. I have spoken to people I know; intelligent people, while surprising myself at the amount of information I’ve become aware of and all of this communication has fallen, it would seem, on deaf ears. In my corner of life, no one seems to want to view the dark underbelly of what is happening to them. It now appears as a way of life as citizens have become enslaved over the last twenty years. Now folks are acting like lambs to the slaughter as they maintain their passive, if not ignorant understanding (or lack thereof) of their situation and why it exists. They are happy with their campsites, SUV’s, boats and whatever else they manage to keep for the moment without concern for the big picture.
It’s a new holocaust just as sinister as the original one and the railroad cars are filled with those clinging to the last hope as they continue to deny the reality that is killing them. Watching the republican hopefuls and listening to their manipulative lies, I can’t help but wonder how it is so many people are falling for the propaganda. I foolishly thought that pointing out the inconsistencies of the position of the ultra right, which destroys so much of American life and freedom, would strike a chord of reason with those I contact. How do working people… those who fall below the ”robber baron” level even consider the actions taken in WI, OH, TX, etc. as a good thing for their families in particular and the US in general? Those game plans of the right continue their heinous march as they continue the damaging plan, destroying American values, economics, law, and lives.
In the past, fathers supported the family with one income and with careful, common sense economic planning, were able to retire to a reasonable lifestyle. All that has been stolen from the American people as the injustice continues. Our children and grandchildren will not treat us kindly as they write the history that has allowed this to continue unabated as they realize how little support they had in the scheme of things.
Meeting in a park to protest is as much a joke as writing to elected officials of either party. Media doesn’t cover it. It is easily ignored and the action, in and of itself, produces no carcinogen sufficient to gain the attention of those who have stolen from us. True resistance was never effective without more decisive action. Our enemies are as significant as those facing the French resistance. Our lives, our children’s lives, our grandchildren’s lives and our country are in grave danger.
I particularly like the philosophy and game plan of youwalkaway.com. It is a significant start: http://www.youwalkaway.com/strategic-default/
Strategic default will help many of us as we reverse their tactics and use the law to our advantage even though it is “rigged” to favor banking and corporate thieves. Banks and corporations do not care about Americans and Americans need a way to protect themselves from the lawless actions enslaving us as the banks find new ways to keep us indebted to them. Whatever your philosophy of the monetary system, to ignore the consequences of banking and corporate injustice defies logic. If government remains complacent and supportive of such a system, it is time to take action and remove this yoke of destruction and enslavement. They need us…we don’t need them. Follow the money as it leaves your pocket while destroying your family, your future, and your way of life. Find strength to draw a line somewhere…
Sis pacem , parare bellum.
SALUTE to the Stoney Creek Three and to the Mighty Oaks from Little Acorns. Keep an eye on AmpedStatus.org today for a NEW article that will soon be posted discussing #OpESR!