http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XT7Z91h7u0

-A crowd gathered in a park no where near any of the corporate influences over power cited above, instead it’s a park between hospitals and homes.

-A crowd refusing to move to another park and screaming constant obscenities loudly after 10pm – a time when my family is attempting to sleep.

-A city official attempting to reason with the crowd, and acknowledging that the city would be bound by any judgements against it for its actions.

-A man speaking for Occupy trying to claim that camping in a public park is their free right, despite the movement’s general tone that public assets cannot be co-opted by any private citizens or entities.

-A city official and police giving a clear directive and timeframe for complying with the very reasonable request of moving the protest to a place more suitable and less disruptive to the un-involved residents of a neighborhood un-related (as far as I could tell) to the Occupy cause.

-The refusal to honor the deadline, except to move into Grand Blvd with the express intent of blocking traffic once the police moved in to enforce the deadline.

I said I’m a fan of the movement above, but I was very troubled. I saw misplaced anger that just inflames people with no goal. I saw a lack of respect for other citizens. I saw an insistence on First Amendment rights without reciprocating respect of any other laws. And sadly, I saw a cheap co-opting of the courage and discipline of the Civil Rights Movement, the Anti-War Movement, and Mohatma Gandhi’s independence movement.

If you want to be taken seriously as a movement, consider this:

-Be clear about what you want to happen, don’t just make noise. Work toward change – no one likes a complainer without a solution.

-Direct your protest at someone who’s either the opposing side or can do something about your goal.

-Show the same respect for the values of the people around you as you expect them to demonstrate for yours.

In general, have a point and be clear about it — and be willing to visibly contribute to the greater good. Otherwise you continue to come across as people that demand the right to do whatever you want for whatever reason you want, without any regard for others.

No one is under any obligation to agree with you, so if you want to effect change, figure out how to make friends instead of enemies.

Peace,

Dan