Wednesday, July 09, 2025

Forms of direct action: Occupation

I am using occupation as an umbrella term for many other types of action. The common thread is that it involves taking over a space to disrupt business as usual. That can range from street blockades to tree-sitting.

The most important thing to consider before planning this type of action is that it is almost certainly going to include trespassing and getting in the way of people making money. That means the risk of arrest and injury goes way up.

I recently learned more about tunneling and was kind of stunned that it's a thing:

https://edgeeffects.net/tunneling-activism/ 

As I pointed out yesterday, there are things that can definitely be worth arrest, injury, and even death, but it shouldn't be done lightly.

That forethought should include not just what price you are personally willing to pay, but also what you want to accomplish, whether this is an action that is likely to be helpful for that goal, or whether it can be effective but requires additional action.

Consider the most famous example of tree-sitting, Julia "Butterfly" Hill's occupation of 1000-year old redwood tree Luna for just over two years.

First of all, there is a big personal cost there, in isolation, physical danger, and deprivation. Not everyone would be willing to do that, even without knowing how long it would take.

Was it likely to work? That can be hard to know. You can question whether it was really about the one tree or the surrounding trees, as the final resolution included the trees in a 200-foot buffer zone. That is still a limited enough area that it is something the lumber company could reasonably agree to. I am sure that helped, even if it still took two years.

Something else that might have helped was a landslide caused by clear-cutting that had destroyed eight homes in the area. There was a level of public concern about the problem that could be built on.

Part of the planning very much involved the public. In addition to the bare basics, like how Hill would eat and sleep and maintain health in the tree, they had to figure out interviews and publicity.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Butterfly_Hill 

Any public protest should be designed to get attention and clearly communicate the message and demands. 

Speaking of publicity, I recently watched a documentary about the Dakota Access Pipeline protests. Footage of Mark Ruffalo really clarified for me the value of celebrity participants. When you have brutality like water cannons and concussion grenades, having someone there who will bring cameras and attention is invaluable. Publicity matters and it needs to be considered. So sheer numbers can be helpful, but can you get any names? It's not a deal breaker either way, but it can make a difference.

I wrote a year ago about a protest for Palestine at the airport, occupying the access road. That was kind of a march, but with elements similar to a street blockade.

https://sporkful.blogspot.com/2024/06/i-protest.html 

I considered it ineffective because it was not making things harder for decision makers. It could be something that raised awareness, but if your goal is raising awareness annoying people may not be your best option. That is also why disrupting the Christmas tree lighting was a bad idea. 

There have been protests at Intel because of their Israeli locations and investment. Is that making the pain more direct to someone in power? Yes, though probably not enough pain to cause change. 

Does that mean it's not worth doing? Maybe not, but if there is something more worth doing, I want to put my energy there.

These are just things to think about and questions to ask.

One final thought: as I think about body blocks, linking arms, lock-ons, and all of the other things previously mentioned, I can't help picturing people chaining themselves to the doors of city hall or some other target, which would totally be disruptive except that big bolt-cutters can be so effective.

It is not great publicity to become a joke. Put in the effort organizing so that you are doing something that has a positive impact.

Disrupting for the sake of disruption is a techbro thing; that won't help anyone. 

No comments: