On Being A Part of the 99%
I’ve been thinking of this notion of being a part of the 99% in this entire Occupation phenomenon that’s been spreading throughout our nation (and the rest of the world) since the Wall Street event began last month.
When I see images and videos of the participants and I read the variety of philosophies and motives behind the movement in newspaper articles and blogs, though I can appreciate and even agree with the framing and meaning behind these “occupations,” I can clearly see the discrepancies behind the experiences of these white middle class demonstrators and my own. And though their message is supposed to also encompass my struggles as part of the underprivileged 99%, I can’t help but feel that my experiences as an undocumented Latino are completely in the margins, lost amid chaotic chants for economic justice.
First and foremost, the organizers of these events chose a word that has such a deep and traumatic history for people of color. Occupy Wall Street. Occupy Los Angeles. “Occupy.” I’m genuinely concerned that there really hasn’t been a discussion behind the significance of such a loaded word. In our world, an occupation has always meant terrible consequences. It has signified the conquering of a foreign (or domestic) territory for the purpose of transforming their culture through violent means with catastrophic results. In many cases, it has meant the annihilation of indigenous populations and the enslavement of the survivors, both in the physical and psychological sense. To occupy is to conquer and to spread the political theology of the victors, and the pillaging of the occupied territories for whatever resources they had. In other words, occupation is imperialism.
The United States is absolutely guilty of imperialistic tendencies and terrible atrocities as a result, be they blatant campaigns (such as the current Iraqi occupation) or more covert political campaigns (the occupation of Central and South America through political and financial manipulation and terrorism). Through history, the United States has time and again shown complete disregard for the autonomy of other nations.
Hence, communities of color know what it is to have roots in the trauma that comes from being occupied. How can these middle class white participants understand the pain and suffering that comes from having governments in our home countries toppled by C.I.A. operatives and the installation of blood-thirsty dictators? How can they understand what it is to have the American military train death squads in the School of the Americas that then disappeared entire villages of our people into mass graves in the jungles of Central America? How can they possibly comprehend what it’s like to read newspaper clippings on the War on Drugs and the thousands of bodies it has left hanging off of bridges, hung there by the cartels that bought automatic weapons from the American government with drug money?
And even in today’s society, communities of color continue to burden the experience of an occupation by our own government. Members of the Latino and Muslim communities could just as easily be lost in the prison system set up for undocumented immigrants (our government calls them “detention centers”, but they are clearly run as federal prisons) where torture, human degradation, and death is as common place as prisons setup abroad for suspected terrorists. This War on Terrorism has become an institution with deep implications for our communities, for whether we’re documented or not, we will always be suspects. Our own government sold us out to private corporations who build prisons to incarcerate thousands of us, and the executive branch of our government plays a major role in filling the beds at all of these prisons. Whether or not we’re guilty of any crime is irrelevant.
The black and brown communities are very familiar with police tactics, and we live our lives knowing full well that at any time and any place, we could be stopped, detained, and arrested for a variety of reasons that could then be made up in the paperwork. To us, police officers are relentless hungry and angry tentacles of an overburdened justice department, which serve to capture and bring in defenseless people for a legal shake-down. They act as preliminary judges out on the street, and physical impressions are what marks one as guilty; if you’re black or brown, you’re going down. To us, the justice department is a corridor of cashier windows where the state extorts money from hardworking folks to keep this entire corrupt system running.
So now we have white middle class folks up in arms, demanding justice and responsibility from our government, and they want to “occupy” all of these different cities and demonstrate the might of the 99%, when all along, communities of color have been screaming about our oppressive situations and the occupation of our people. And though the economic situation has made our experience all the more desperate, there’s no way that the top 33% can comprehend the situation of the bottom 33%, which is mainly comprised of our disenfranchised communities. This is one of those situations where the bottom 33% get to taunt the flabbergasted top 33% with a “Welcome To The Club” chant.
So we have these new movements propping up throughout our nation, with middle class folks organizing themselves and scheduling in time in their lives to fight this oncoming revolution, while approaching our communities and asking us to shift our gears and resources to get these Occupations popping off. Our communities barely have any resources with which to fight and conquer all the problems that plague us, and now we’re supposed to strut our issues alongside them as part of the 99% because all of a sudden, now it’s important to have our voices heard?
We live in a country sold out to corporations and to the wealthy, there’s no doubt about it. But our government permitted these auctions, gambling the well-being of the American people for free-market profit margins. The experience of your typical hard-working American-Dream-having citizen has been lost amid all the corruption. Case in point? When Steve Jobs died, President Obama issued a statement about how our nation had lost a creative genius. When Troy Davis was executed unjustly, our President kept his thoughts to himself and refused to issue a statement about the entire spectacle. Steve Jobs > Troy Davis. Not everybody gets to live out a dream like Steve Jobs, but us people of color can certainly suffer the same fate as Troy Davis. Our government makes sure of this.
So really, what is this Occupation madness all about? Is it about reform? Is about revolution? Is this about white middle class folks who have finally woken up to the realization that, regardless of the upward mobility situations that are often offered to them, they will in fact never become a part of the top 1%?
Personally, I can’t help but feel excited, as I see all the potential this movement has to offer. But the priority that should be on the mind of all organizers of these events is to create the space and opportunities for these frank and painful discussions. The 99% need to be decolonized and educated.
The centerpiece of this Occupation Movement should be education. Once we know what we’re fighting against, we’ll have a clearer idea of what we’re fighting for.
In solidarity,
Jesús
(This piece was inspired by the discussions I’ve had these past few days with the attendees of the Blue Mountain residency.)
Love this piece Jesus! I have had somewhat similar conversations with others about this movement. I was excited to hear that Occupy Wall St has started a working group for people of color. I went to Occupy LB on Saturday and the first person I talked to told me that they need more women and people of color. My first thought was that I wasn’t there to be anyone’s token.
J,
I hear what you are saying. I think you have some very wonderful points. Now I think the next move is to be part of it all (99%, 33%,1%) it don’t matter until there is 100%. And maybe you are part of that equation. I know you are because you have a lot to give. YOu have your experience and your knowledge. Now share it. Share it with those you don’ think understand our plight. Teach it. Don’t begrudge about it or feel guitly or accuse. Not that you are. Just saying, this is your time to teach. We teach the “other” tribes what our experience has been, bring it to the table and then we can teach as we learn. This is the only way a movement can encompass ALL because without 100% we allow room for a climate/consciousness of US and THEM and this, history would tell us, does not work. There is an energy/force out there that has lost its way and we need to help it come home. It is our turn now to show the “oppressor” what we learned from his actions. But we do this with love and forgiveness. We usher in the feminine. And the only way I can suggest is by teaching each other so that we learn to communicate our needs that have not been met. We become creative together and we build. We need to stop destroying in all forms. Its about building now. We come up with the new ideas. Before a flower blooms there is an enormous explosion. We are at the beginning of the explosion and in time we will bloom.
R
By all means please go and discuss this with those camping out at any of the Occupy sites. They are open to discussion. That is one of the main things I saw during my visits there. It is an open space for all to go and share their issues with the situation(s) in and outside this country.
Their messages are clear. A lot of things need to change.
It should be very clear to you as an undocumented student. If white, middle class, US born citizens, who got theirs and have lost it have realized the system don’t work (yes welcome to the club), what makes you think getting the DREAM Act and your citizenship is going to do anything for you in the bigger picture?
You say welcome to the club and you still don’t know what they are questioning and fighting for? Listen to yourself. You “knew” (you laid it out pretty clear above) now they know (they did know to, but now they have lost stuff and are pissed), now help each other focus and figure out what is next.
Yes, GM. I think J’s concerns are valid and now we take them to the general assembly at the OWS movement in your area and speak on it. We have to come together. Let our white brothers and sisters know about our struggles and experiences so that we learn to walk in each other’s moccasins for two weeks.
Peaceandlove,
R
Jesus’ I read with interest your moving declaration regarding the “Occupy” campaigns that are manifesting themselves throughout the country (or perhaps the world). The points you make are valid and worth contemplation. Unfortunately, I could not understand why in making your point you felt it necessary to 1.) Identify yourself as undocumented, 2.) Break down the 99% into smaller groups, and 3.) Assume that this “lower 33%” is part of some privileged….or should I say underprivileged club.
I am reminded of a quote by Anthony D’Angelo that I revised and molded to use in a speech once; “Bathe someone with your knowledge, but don’t drown them with too much information.” I felt that your disclosure of the fact that you were undocumented seemed to be revealed for a purpose all its own. As I continued to read your statement, it appeared you had used it as part of your introduction to validate the rest of your statement. Jesus, the merit of one’s knowledge and intellect will always stand on their own; we do not need to categorize ourselves to affix effectiveness into anything.
This brings me to the next point. Why is it necessary to classify what has already been grouped? Consider a fruit tree for instance. There are three parts to the tree: the roots, trunk, and branches. Together they have strength and function as a whole. Remove one element and the tree will fail to produce. We must all work together and identify as the equivalent of the whole. By operating along these guidelines, everyone unites to form an amalgamation of the mind, body, and spirit. Let’s undo the “club” and form an organization.
Jesus’, your knowledge is needed in the pursuit of what is good IN this world and FOR this world. Don’t fall prey to the societal criterion that keep us separated and constrained. That is what put all of us here in the first place. Let’s continue wrestling for the preservation of human rights and equality. Que siga la lucha!
Hey Sally,
Thanks so much for your response.
The reason that I had to divulge my identity as an undocumented immigrant is simply because my experiences as an undocumented immigrant differ very much from a white upper-middle-class American citizen. Yet, we’re all lumped together under this 99% tag, as if our experiences are all similar. But they’re not. And even my experiences as an undocumented Latino are very different from an undocumented Latina, which are also very different from a queer undocumented Latin@, etc.
The whole idea of breaking down the 99% is to showcase the different experiences of the 99%. Having been at several Occupation demonstrations and looking at the demographics of the participants, and having had an opportunity to speak to many of the participants, I’ve come to realize that even within this movement, our experiences as people of color are very different from white middle class participants. For example, I’ve met middle-class white folks who have QUIT their jobs in order to make it to these demonstrations. Obviously, they have a certain amount of privilege that allows them to leave their primary source of income to participate, and they themselves don’t seem to recognize/understand it. These movements have historically been created by white middle class people who have the resources and the time to demonstrate. People of color generally do not have the time/space to create these opportunities for themselves. It’s much harder for a person of color to find a job than it is for a white middle class person. That’s common knowledge. That is the unfortunate and sad case of our communities.
What I attempted to do in my piece is to showcase the different experiences within the 99%, and to demonstrate that even though we’re a part of a large movement (the 99% vs. the super wealthy 1%), there are deep discrepancies within the 99%, many which go unacknowledged by many white middle class participants. And with these movements popping up and these participants approaching our communities and asking us to become a part of this bigger movement, we’ve had to make choices in our communities as to what we’re able to contribute to these movements when we have other more pressing issues to deal with in our community. Yes, economic justice is important to us. But it’s not as important to us when we have police forces stopping and deporting members of our communities all day and all night, 24/7. While white middle class people are waging war and pressure on the economic sectors of our country, our government is waging war on OUR communities.
So I’m not necessarily dicing up different groups of people into more or less privileged groups. Those differences are already there. All I’m doing is simply pointing at them and reminding others that these conversations need to be had. If this movement insists on being color-blind, it’ll make participation from communities of color all the more difficult.
The plights experienced by the 99% are VERY diverse and very different. And maybe the 1% is hoping that we can’t pull together and figure out our framing and our demands. I have faith that we can. But we need to educate one another and if we’re really striving for change, then EVERYTHING needs to change. This isn’t going to be easy, but it’s not impossible. All we need to do is have these conversations.
If we look at the issues that are plaguing our individual communities, it can be with certainty that they point back to the powers that be that are being exposed by Occupy Wall Street. Deportations were taking place long before OWS, The prison system has been exploiting inmates for many years, Corporations have been involved in gang enhancement for years. The foreclosure fiasco affected people of all income levels (and we all know where that finger points to). These issues are taking place in different communities but all point in one direction.
How we communicate our dislikes, frustrations, and concerns can take on so many connotations today. As I read your entry, I realized how easy it is to misconstrue the meaning behind someone’s thoughts on paper. Augusto Boal writes that [words are] the greatest invention of the human being, and yet [they bring] with [them] the obliteration of the senses, the atrophy of other forms of perception (i.e. color, image)” I believe that we must relearn how to use image and color with words to achieve the real power behind our statements.
Education is key I agree and it has to start somewhere. Our experiences are different but our ultimate goal should be the same. By combining all of our experiences we can begin to create the goal that will be suitable for all of humanity. Our actions (images, colors, words) must reflect our final ideals and ideas.
Let’s keep the dialogue going!
Jesus,
Education is how far your willing to reach.
I think I came up with this but I really don’t know. Great article!
Best,
Laura T. Ortiz