Was there any doubt that it would someday come to this?
Was anyone really surprised that as the temperatures dropped, the chants lost their edge and the city's patience wore thin, Occupy Wall Street would begin to sputter towards a less-than-glamorous end? We may not have expected the police violence — or at least may not have wished for it — but we should have expected that at some point the tents would be taken down, the signs put away, the human microphones dismantled.
And as people now rage against the police action in Zuccotti Park, in a kind of meta-protest with Occupiers protesting for their continued right to protest, they ought not ask how the occupation can be allowed to remain in perpetuity, but what that occupation is meant to achieve. Protests, after all, are not an end in and of themselves: They are a means to an end far more important than their own continued existence.
What were the Occupiers waiting for? What was their endgame? When Mayor Angel Taveras threatened to shut down Occupy Providence, protesters insisted they would "remain in Burnside Park for however long it takes to build a society by, for and of the people." To which I say: You'd best gear up for the long haul, friends. Maybe trade in your tents for something more permanent — something suitable for raising your children and grandchildren in.
A perfectly just society is a noble and important ideal. The idea of a government that represents and respects everyone regardless of race, creed, gender, sexuality or socioeconomic status rightfully lies at the foundation of our national self-image. But as the last 235 years of American history show, the journey to this society by, for and of the people is neither short nor easy. Indeed, it is one with no end in sight — perhaps no end at all.
And so, without any more specific demands, Occupy was doomed to its end from the beginning. Its short-term tactics were not embedded in any long-term strategy for reaching its almost comically unattainable goals. How exactly were the occupations supposed to result in a just society? They brought attention to the plight of the 99 percent, yes, and excited participants who were growing ever more disillusioned with American power structures — but then what? Where was this energy supposed to go? The protesters never decided.
The problem with a movement that is based on nothing more than staying put is that it tends to lose its vitality relatively quickly. At some point, it fades into the background as its novelty evaporates and the hungry eye of the public seeks new fare. And life goes on largely as before, with the 1 percent eating caviar in their penthouses and the rest of us left to deal with our rightful frustration.
Are all movements doomed to stagnate so? Or can they retain their passion, channeling it toward real, meaningful and attainable milestones on the road to justice? For evidence of the latter, I humbly submit my home state of Wisconsin. After 100,000 protestors swarmed the State Capitol in Madison last February to protest Gov. Scott Walker's union-busting budget repair bill, Walker and his Republican legislative companions demonstrated their esteem for "we the people" by ramming the bill through anyway, with senators literally fleeing the Capitol after the vote through an underground tunnel. As the protesters glumly departed, some predicted their anger would fizzle out: a nice display, a fun media circus, but one with no real results.
Instead, after successfully recalling two Republican state senators this summer, organizers have set their sights on Walker himself, launching a statewide recall effort last Tuesday. Their task is not easy: To hold an election, they first need to collect over 540,000 signatures in just 60 days. Even if they accomplish that, the money is already pouring in to help Walker weather what would surely be a tough recall contest.
Wisconsinites remain undaunted, rekindling the fire they lit last spring. As they did in February, they are taking to the streets, this time with petitions in hand — knocking on doors, standing outside basketball games, even setting up drive-through recall stations. In the first two days, the effort collected some 50,000 signatures. A new poll shows that 58 percent of Wisconsin residents want to see Walker go. This is what democracy looks like: raw passion and dedication coupled with a clear strategy for change.
If Wisconsinites show Walker the door next spring, all of Wisconsin's problems won't be solved. A society by, for and of the people will still be a distant dream — if an ever closer one. But if the protests that started last spring end, a year later, by removing a governor hostile to the democratic process and intent on forcing a radical conservative agenda on a moderate-left state, they will have achieved more lasting change than the Occupy Wall Street movement has.
New Yorkers like to think of their hometown as the center of the world. But maybe they ought to listen to those nice, unassuming folks out in the Midwest. There is a lot they could stand to learn from them.
Reuben Henriques '12 has already signed his recall petition and urges his fellow Brown cheeseheads to do the
same. He can be reached at reuben_henriques@brown.edu.
