#OccupyEverywhere

(Accidentally deleted this, here's the re-post)

I have been following the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement since early in the summer. I started following a couple of Anonymous handles on Twitter and through them found the @OccupyWallStNYC handle which I also followed. I watched as the handle gained followers and continued to reach out to people sympathetic to their cause such as rappers Lupe Fiasco and Big Boi. With the movement picking up popularity I figured I would weigh in on what I think about the movement, and encourage others to comment with their opinions as well.
The lateral organization of OWS makes it potent and very capable of gaining momentum, attention, and occupiers. By lacking a strict hierarchy and leadership OWS and Anonymous have achieved making the movement a movement of the people by the people. This has encouraged many people to come out and join the protesters in the streets and parks across the nation. The way that the movement has utilized social networking sites has changed social movements as we know it; Cybervism is the way of the future, that is undeniable. However, the lateral organization of the movement is also a weak point. When confronting an entity as large and powerful as the United States government, more organization is necessary. Part of what made the Civil Rights Movment so successful is that you had protesters who were trained to be protesters. They knew how to peacefully get their point across, and they knew the dangers of resisting arrest. When protesters are arrested, most charges against them are trumped up and can easily be defeated in court; resisting arrest is not one of those. It is also dangerous because it will only take one protester coming to a rally or march with a gun, killing a police officer, and have the whole movement tainted and witness its demise.
The police are also a part of that 99% that the protest refers to. I do not make a habit of defending the police because I do not trust them and have had many negative experiences with law enforcement officers that were due to my race. However in the case of OWS we need to remember that at the end of the day the police are just people who are working jobs to provide for their families alongside us. They just happen to "enforce" the law which often times neglects the rights of the people in the streets protesting for change. It is important for us to remember that the people who we need to be aggressively against are legislators and public officials who have not been working towards the interest of The People, as well as the heads of major corporations. The police need to see a constant non-violent and non-aggressive stance of occupiers towards them. Make your voices heard without using any form of violence, your true power is in your numbers.
There is a severe lack of diversity in the occupiers and the planks on their platforms for change. Any solution to the problems that our country faces that is colorblind is lacking at best. There is nothing wrong with celebrating the differences in people and our heritages, the only problems come when celebrating ones heritage turns to knocking someone elses. The 99% that the protesters refer to somewhat limits us by making the claim that we are all the same. By ingnoring the needs of the Black, Hispanic, Gay, and other underpriveleged communities within the 99% we are excluding them. We are all Americans, but we have more than one definition of our self-identities and to neglect our whole identity in order to fit into a larger group for social change is not a complete victory. More diverse ideas need to be presented and more groups need to represented in this movement.
Overall I like OWS. I think they have the potential to achieve some real change in the way our financial system operates. However, I think this is only the beginning of a larger movement for social change in America. There is still much to be discussed and accomplished in other areas of our society. I'm very interested to hear y'alls thoughts on this...