Not all who dress in black and use militant tactics are anarchists, it appears. There are some in Oakland who believe that they are vanguardists, destined to lead the clueless masses into insurrection similar to Leninists. Unlike Leninists, these vanguardists have no idea where they're going to be leading the masses other than insurrection against the existing regime, and some self describe as nihilists.

On J28, it seems that the wide range of OO "seasoned activists" proved their mettle by advertising to the world and the cops that they intended to take a public building. Occupy needs face-to-face organizing spaces as that is what made Occupy successful and that is what causes the authorities to crack down. But it does not take an anarchist or insurrectionary to play a poor strategic game.

Occupy is a populist movement that has not adopted a generalized critique of capitalism as a whole. Most who support Occupy have targeted several aspects of predatory finance capitalism run amok and the broad consensus is that structural rather than systemic reform is the goal. This is why OO is the outlier in the Occupy movement.

Remember, Oakland is the place where the cops and FBI joined forces to bomb Judi Bari for daring to unite timber workers and environmentalists in common cause, and blamed her for her own bombing. That is the last place that I would want to do any sort of activism, period.

Yeah, I'm afraid to put my own needs and desires aside in favor of where a supermajority of people are, a real coward.

I'll take a diversity of tactics as soon as we have a modicum of strategy.

For instance, why could OO have orchestrated a division of labor, where the militants could have provided a diversion by breaking stuff a mile or so away from the target building so that the OPD was distracted and that provided an opening for the peaceful occupiers to take the structure?

No, it was all about the militants being seen as being more radical than everyone else, which resulted in the status quo being preserved. Jail sucks, getting caught sucks.

The best, most effective militant and radical actions happen when nobody else is looking and that is very threatening to those whose radical self image is predicated on being seen as being more radical than the next activist.

it is not the case that the anarchist black bloc or anarchists of any persuasion are trying to lead anybody anywhere. certainly they are not vanguardists since that is of a communist socialist persuasion. as for being leninist again a communist socialist thing.in terms of radicals trying to out radical one another is easily enough a liberal reactionary apologist position of seeing radicals in some kind of pissing contest! again a discourse attempting to undermine any radical discourse. radical discourse is systemic change that is to say revolution, structural change is reactionary band-aid measures.as for judi bari is that not an attempt to scare anybody off any radicality!

Oakland Police. There's just something laughable about those two words together.

Thank you for finally highlighting in print what we have all known long enough. Hell, I am living in SF and I had to come witness the OPD for myself and ended up getting arrested for 30 minutes (lucky I was let go because they couldn't charge me with trespassing since I was on the street when I was kettled). What I can tell you is.. OPD isn't SFPD. SFPD are cuddly bunnies compared to what OPD has been up to.

Something I try to get people outside of the "Bay Area Bubble" to understand is how truly corrupt and bad OPD is. Many people don't understand how close they are to being the only federalized city police force. Nor can they comprehend "Gangs within" an organization that the public has always identified as being "Against Gangs". We basically have criminals chasing criminals. When will that madness stop and the real police work begin?

It only takes a few minutes before the memories of the 60's and 70's come back when we all heard about how OPD assassinated leaders of the Black Panther party.

Occupy didn't make me an activist. The Police did it all for me. Something that people within Occupy understand and are learning to live with is the organic nature of Occupy SF and Occupy Oakland. Sure, there are GA's and there is a "structure" in place, but the real magic is the people like myself that come out of the woodwork when the call comes out. We are the ones that sit at home and monitor the Livestreams. We monitor the police scanners, we coordinate with those on the ground in other cities in real-time. New York, completely different.. much more structured, but that's understandable since they are at the center of the media attention you have to have your sh*t together a bit more. Out here, we can flow.. why have strict rules, it only makes it easier for them.

During the brutal crackdown of the camps this Winter you had people like myself manning the livestream/ustreams, media copter cams, and police scanners trying to help our fellow Occupiers on the ground. We understand how blind you can feel when you don't know that you are being surrounded on all sides by police. We understand how scary it can be going through your first raid. Fear is embedded in us at an early age. Once you face this fear and overcome it. Then you truly know and feel the power of Occupy. Occupy is about more then you can imagine, Its about awakening one's self to the reality on the ground. That just because we are told and say we are free. We really aren't, and we are here to show you the hypocrisy in this at every turn.

However, the powers that be naturally want to kill us. So, we are sorry if we need shields now, but we didn't ask to be shot at with rubber bullets. All the kids wanted was a community center in a city full of empty buildings, and the city of Oakland couldn't deliver. We realize that this isn't a one time thing.. This is consistent. Oakland never delivers. It doesn't seem like any government service delivers much anymore.

Many of us have come to the conclusion that there isn't an easy way to end this confrontation with OPD. They pretty much killed all attempts of a "Cease fire" with the mass arrests on J28. Since then.. Occupy has been in hibernation. Licking its wounds.. waiting for things to self-organize as they naturally do. We all know we are being monitored, and we all know what the stakes are. But at the same time that fire burns deep in us.. and burns hotter with ever day that passes. People are now addicted to the rush of confronting authority.

That being said, I'm old.. going on 36 all I can do is serve as an example to the kids that they will have to take responsibility for their actions. I am a beacon saying, "don't do anything stupid, you will be 36 too some day, and you don't want to be in jail your entire life do you?" What else more can I do. However, as soon as the gas flies and the LRAD is turned on.. We are one. United by force, because we are all being attacked.

Psst, Spring is very near.. you should be expecting them soon..

These are some of the most deluded folks out there. They don't want to live in the society as is, so they riot and run amok so as to make the rest of us live as they intend.

It is so very odd.

marcos youre still a coward.

Nihilists! Fuck me. I mean, say what you like about the tenets of National Socialism, Dude, at least it's an ethos.