Negotiation, Recognition and Hope in Occupation

Categories: uncategorized

Date: 04 November 2011 10:53:03

Occupy London has put out a call for welfare assistance. They explain the reasons for this as follows:

"OccupyLSX is trying be a welcoming space. We hope that people will take the time to talk to each other, help each other out and overcome their differences to create a better society.

This means that our camp is becoming a beacon for those who feel that they do not have a stake in society, for vulnerable and marginalised people. They and we are all part of the 99 per cent.

It is often said that you can judge a society by how it treats its most vulnerable members; Occupy London aims to create a better society, but we need your help.

We will not abandon or ignore the most vulnerable members of our society. We are aware that many vulnerable people are coming to the camp (including people with mental health issues, alcohol and drug problems) and we believe that we have to address these problems head on rather than the ad hoc fashion we have to date. If this camp is to aim to be part of creating a better and more just society we need to tackle these issues pro-actively."

It is a statement and a request for help which could have equally come from Occupy Newcastle and from what I am hearing most of the other occupations around the UK, and indeed around many parts of the world.

The issues and debates around how we support both the occupation and it's key aims as well as engaging with those homeless people who are joining us - often because we are providing safety and community for them - is difficult. We are seeking to negotiate with them, the authorities and other providers of help but that is not always easy.

Those who are located at the occupations on a long term basis are facing particular problems. In Newcastle we have had one homeless person with a range of issues threaten somebody with a knife, others have urinated in tents and we have had to deal with the aggression of some when we have sought to enforce the rule that the camp is dry because as one sign says, "We booze we lose." The "regular" protesters are also facing problems because they are being diverted from the necessary everyday tasks due to having to sort out whatever problem is being caused by those sharing our space with drug, alcohol and mental health issues. This is all causing tensions which we are seeking to negotiate in different ways on. But which we, in Newcastle, would also appreciate support with.

That is not to say that the homeless or those with drug and alcohol issues are contributing nothing to the camp. Some of them are being helpful, and engaging with us in a way which is really helpful. One guy keeps us entertained with some beautiful singing....had a wonderful rendition of the theme tune from Supergran yesterday. Others have been helping with keeping the camp clean and as somebody said of one of our most problematic "visitors" yesterday, "when he's not been drinking or taking anything he's great and it's been good to get to know him."

What we are seeking to do is to recognise the value and worth in everybody, and the way that some have specific problems because of the very things we are seeking to change. The cuts are impacting the services to these people directly. We also recognise that we are not trained in these areas and cannot provide all the help and support that people need. That is why the calls for welfare support are going out. Finally, we are recognising that we need to take responsibility for the camps and what happens there as best we can. In Newcastle we are changing the layout of the camp for various reasons - some practical like the council need to put up the Christmas lights - but others linked to seeking to minimise the disruption to the protest by those with "issues" by how we use our space. So if anybody notices the changes rest assured it's not because of the expected visit from Bill Bailey or ITN today - it's down to the practicalities of the continuing occupation.

Finally, what I think these stories and requests for help show is the hope within the occupations. We hope we can help, we hope we can live a different way, we hope that we can build a society where people don't need to turn to drink and drugs to get through and we hope we can see a society where those with mental health issues are not let down.