Austin Statesman: An occupation with purpose, and peace
media mentionEditorial Board
Updated: 8:57 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, 2011
Published: 8:34 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, 2011
We’re thankful Austin hasn’t experienced the violence that has plagued other offshoots of the Occupy Wall Street movement, especially in Oakland, Calif.
We thank the protesters who have been camping out at City Hall since Oct. 6 for their determination to gather peacefully, and we thank city officials and the Austin police, notably Police Chief Art Acevedo, for their patience and understanding that these citizens have a right to assemble and express their views. It’s an accommodating stance superior to the antagonistic one seen elsewhere.
Yet, Occupy Austin hasn’t been free of bumps. The city, in part concerned about some of the homeless people who had gathered around the protest, posted new rules last week regarding a food distribution table, ordering its removal from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. When protesters failed to comply early last Sunday, police moved in and arrested about three dozen demonstrators.
The sour turn of events prompted discussions between protesters and city officials about safety and cooperation. The city lifted its restrictions on the food table but asked protesters to remove the table when the plaza is being cleaned. Protesters said they would.
“We want to be good neighbors,” Occupy Austin spokesman Carl Lindemann told the American-Statesman. “We’re doing the best we can.”
Its followers’ objectives are sometimes fuzzy, but at its center the Occupy Wall Street movement is about corporate influence in politics and the nation’s growing income inequality. The unequal distribution of income in the United States has dramatically widened the gap between the richest 1 percent of Americans and the other 99 percent over the past 30 years. It’s an issue that deserves attention and thoughtful debate. To raise the issue is not necessarily an expression of class warfare, as critics’ bromides would have it; it can be an expression of deep concern about the health of our democracy.
The Congressional Budget Office released a study last week that showed that the after-tax income for the top 1 percent increased 275 percent from 1979 to 2007. The middle of the economic scale saw its after-tax income grow by 40 percent over the same period. Those at the bottom experienced an anemic 18 percent increase.
Another study, released Thursday by Citizens for Tax Justice and the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, found that 30 of the nation’s biggest companies paid no federal taxes from 2008 to 2010, and some of these companies even made money thanks to tax credits and government refunds. Dozens more companies paid an effective tax rate of less than 10 percent over the three years despite the fact that the federal corporate tax rate is 35 percent.
Those occupying City Hall and other locations around the country, as well as those sympathetic to the Occupy Wall Street cause, know that any degeneration into lawlessness and violence only hurts their movement. A right to assemble does not mean a right to assemble without rules. While Occupy Wall Street prides itself on its lack of leadership, the fact is the longer the protests go on, the more a few individuals will have to step forward to organize logistics, speak for the group and negotiate with officials.
That appears to be happening in Austin following last weekend’s arrests. Any changes, either from the city or from the protesters, must be clearly communicated and enough time must be given for everyone to adjust.
Protesters should protest responsibly. City officials should react responsibly. In Austin at least, both sides are mostly doing so.