NEW YORK—Occupy Wall Street’s decision-making structure is based on giving everyone a voice, yet this goal may be becoming unrealistic, as the protest group grows larger.
The general assembly (GA) is a daily communitywide meeting attended by hundreds of protesters. It includes updates from working groups, such as food and comfort, and provides a forum to discuss issues from what to spend donated money on, to how to better interact with the community.
As Occupy Wall Street (OWS) deals with more issues and money, the GA is taking more time, compounded by the “people’s mic,” a mechanism where people repeat speakers’ words, amplifying them, so others can hear. At some larger meetings every sentence has to be repeated four times, moving progressively to the outside of the crowd and sometimes lost in translation.
There has also been less of a chance for people to speak their minds, while some decisions are rushed due to time or other constraints.
“Many proposals at GA get derailed by the legitimate complaint that participants have not been given adequate time to reflect on the proposal,” states a document on the New York GA website that outlines a 24-hour feedback proposal.
At an assembly on Oct. 13, multiple decisions appeared to be rushed, despite objections, including a $2,000-plus cleaning expenditure on the cusp of possible removal from the park. The money was quickly approved after it was stressed that the bank, where OWS has an account now nearing $500,000, would soon be closing.
Facilitators necessary for meetings
Facilitators have been an essential part of this “horizontal democracy.” They serve as mediators and conversation guides, ensuring that the meetings follow proper procedures, including limiting irrelevant interruptions.
Even still, the GA typically lasts two or more hours.
However, it remains to be seen how the structure is maintained in high-pressure situations, a challenge for the considered-to-be leaderless movement.
“It didn’t retain complete integrity throughout the whole thing,” said Queens resident and OWS protester Mike in describing an Oct. 5 on-the-spot-vote about whether to rush a barricaded Wall Street and police that were there. “As it gets more and more emotional and more passionate, the process tends to break down.”
The principal decision-making process is the GA, and facilitators are necessary for the process.
“There were not enough facilitators remaining [on Oct. 5] because a lot of them got arrested,” said Mike, who added that multiple people tried take control of the people’s mic. “It kind of disintegrated into something that was not a democratic process.”
The facilitators themselves are somewhat of an enigma: “They’re hard to get in touch with,” said Manhattan resident Jack Dee. “I’ve seen them doing interviews, but they pick and choose.”
No facilitators could be located at Zuccotti Park or contacted by phone before press deadline.
Drumming debate
At the same Oct. 13 GA, another decision that appeared to be rushed was limiting drumming to two hours a day. Immediately after, a drummer could be seen passionately debating the ruling with three others.
In the past two weeks, drumming has emerged as a critical and potentially divisive issue.
“There are a lot of residents with young kids who are concerned about the drumming,” said Community Board 1 (CB1) chairperson Julie Menin, adding that the noise makes it difficult for nearby residents to sleep at night. A CB1 resolution that was approved on Oct. 25 dictates only two hours a day for drumming, while Pulse, a working group representing the drummers, got the GA to revise their original mandate to four hours a day.
A video called Surviving Poisonous People in Decentralized Groups was shown on Oct. 24, and the issue was discussed afterward. Comments from there and a post on an Occupy Wall Street website indicate the struggle to balance respecting the right to drum and curtailing drumming hours, and says drumming has been occurring more than four hours a day.
“These people are really into drumming,” said Jack Dee, who is employed in the entertainment industry. “That’s like their life. It’s like telling a baker not to bake bread.”
Dee said he does feel for sleep-deprived neighbors, though he said drummers have stopped at 10 p.m. over the past week.
“They’re listening. They just don’t want to get totally censored out.”
