I'm proud of Portland AND Occupy Portland (Union, Banks: sale, insurance)

[Leisesturm]

It isn't ironic that the first Occupy encampment in the U.S. was started in the city with the highest income/wealth inequality in the country: NYC. It is significant that despite starting months later, OP became the largest occupy camp in the country. Could it be that despite two billionaires calling it home, PDX has some of the highest unemployment in the country? When I arrived here Jeld-Wen field was PGE Park. What was the cost of that transfer of wealth to PDX? How many jobs did it provide and for how long? How many times did Trimet increase fares during the renovation? Take my word for it, if the Occupy movement were to have conducted themselves in a fashion that would have been acceptable to all but three who have posted in this thread we wouldn't have this thread.

Change is messy. Change is often inconvenient. Change requires risk. It is easier to follow a "devil that you know" paradigm. After all... if you are posting here you still have Internet access. Admit it, you're hoping you'll be dead before real pain hits the middle class. Admit it, you're only thinking of yourself. Occupy 1.0 (Occupy beta in reality) is about much more than you. Occupy 1.0 is very unlikely to benefit me. Occupy 1.0 is very unlikely to address issues of racism which are beyond the power of any laws to touch. Income and wealth distribution are, however, concrete structures that can be addressed through the rule of law. So, why do I care? Because I have always had hope for humanity. I haven't had an easy life but its been a life. Many, many don't even have half of what I do and what I have isn't much. It doesn't make any sense when some have more than they can possibly even grasp intellectually. I will not be able to provide a college education for my children. It just isn't possible. Luckily they are in college through no assistance from me. The present statistics correlating college degrees and employment are not encouraging. Why? Do you really think it is because of Obamacare? Am I the only parent here?

The status quo is unsustainable and, given the time that has elapsed, time in which the 1% have more than doubled their wealth and have also earned their corporations legal personhood and thus participation in political elections... ... well didja's think that resistance to that would be decent? Clean? Easy? It could never have been anything but what it was. The sight of all those "losers" encamped in Portland says more than any written account could about the despair that grips our youth. It cannot be all their fault. That many people don't all become shiftless and lazy out of their own innate defectiveness.Thanks to the appalling sight of such wanton loss of civility (sophistication?) there will be hard questions to answer. I could say more but I'll leave it here.

H

[Minervah]

The point of the OWS/OP/O???.... 's has been made. Occupying anything will not fix the problems.

I don't have the answer as to what will solve the problems but curtailing corporate greed or whatever the root of the problem is will certainly not be solved by the further destroying of property for which the 99% will have to pay to repair. Or the overtime wages they will have to pay to the police who worked 'round the clock to keep the area safe for those who live and work in the area.

Let's hear some ideas from those involved with the protests as to how to make the problems right.

[Leisesturm]

I don't think there is a major East Coast or Midwestern city that did not have race riots in the 60's. Come to think of it Compton and Watts are West Coast cities... so... in the wider context of civil disobedince I'd say the Occupy movements no matter how destructive they might seem in the present context... well...

I should not be attempting to interpret Occupier motives but I suspect that there was no idea of how to fix what is wrong with the world in general and America in particular. I think the idea was to go outdoors sporting a shiner when your husband wants you to stay home...

H

[pdxMIKEpdx]

Well Ok, then.
Let anarchy rule.
There is no other way.

It's what's needed to change things, but we are to dumb, complacent and self absorbed to see it.

It's worked so well this far.
It'll fix all of our problems.
Maybe not, but at least it's a start.

[hamellr]

On the other hand, the Obama administration is starting to really look into how the banks are acting right now. Doubly so where they're taking the money loaned to them to loan to citizens, but are using it to line their own pockets.

This is happening because of the protests.

[Twilighter]

Originally Posted by Leisesturm

civil resistance to the status quo

Wait - is this the object of OWS/etc? I am asking seriously. I have not yet been able to understand the message and mission. I thought my inability to relate was because I have an internal locus of control.

[sayulita]

Originally Posted by Twilighter

Wait - is this the object of OWS/etc? I am asking seriously. I have not yet been able to understand the message and mission. I thought my inability to relate was because I have an internal locus of control.

That is how I see it - "civil resistance to the status quo", as Leisesturm said.

[Bluesmama]

A park in ruins until the city fixes it with money that it doesn't really have to spare. Almost half a million dollars in labor costs that, again, the city really doesn't have to spare.

The problem with Portland's movement are the anarchists. Portland loves anarchy. Portland loves anarchy for the sake of anarchy. They didn't help matters. But also throw in the homeless and the drug-addicts to this "cause", who are there merely to belong to a mass of people, and it didn't do a damn thing to help the "cause". Don't know what people expected. I tried to be cool about it, but as soon as I heard about that one idiot that tried to push a cop into a moving Max train, I WAS DONE! Over 'n' out.

[The Cactus Leaguer]

Originally Posted by hamellr

On the other hand, the Obama administration is starting to really look into how the banks are acting right now. Doubly so where they're taking the money loaned to them to loan to citizens, but are using it to line their own pockets.

This is happening because of the protests.

I don't know what is funnier, assuming that the administration is "starting to really look into how the banks are acting right now", or the claim that "this is happening because of the protests."

The Obama administration will do NOTHING with the banks. Especially not in an election year. You can take that to the... credit union.

[hamellr]

Originally Posted by Bluesmama

A park in ruins until the city fixes it with money that it doesn't really have to spare. Almost half a million dollars in labor costs that, again, the city really doesn't have to spare.

The problem with Portland's movement are the anarchists. Portland loves anarchy. Portland loves anarchy for the sake of anarchy. They didn't help matters. But also throw in the homeless and the drug-addicts to this "cause", who are there merely to belong to a mass of people, and it didn't do a damn thing to help the "cause". Don't know what people expected. I tried to be cool about it, but as soon as I heard about that one idiot that tried to push a cop into a moving Max train, I WAS DONE! Over 'n' out.

I don't think Portland loves Anarchy. Most of the anarchists were shipped to Portland in the late 80's and early 90's by some third party who wanted to start riots in the Portland area during protests. When that didn't quite work, they abandoned those kids here. Some of them continue to try to follow their political beliefs but luckily don't have a very strong leadership to be truly effective.