By PAUL LAVERACK
EL NUEVO SOL

The Occupy movement has persisted, despite the forcible eviction of Occupy LA from the City Hall lawn by 1400 police officers, in the early morning hours of November 30, 2011, as police sliced through tents and arrested 290 protestors.

Following a similar wave of Occupy evictions nationwide, protestors against greed and the corporate capture of government have turned their focus to other actions, such as foreclosure prevention and participation in the Iowa caucuses. In Los Angeles, Occupy protestors are expected to appear at the Tournament of Roses parade on New Year’s Day, 2012.

As the Los Angeles branch of the movement goes forward, pushed out of its nest by police batons, a look back at the encampment itself – the ad hoc community which protestors created among themselves – may yet be of interest.

Below are two different versions of the same video tour taken on November 19, 2011, eleven days before the eviction.

The first video is a three-minute version of the tour given by Lucas – a mediator for the nightly General Assembly and self-described “green hustler for the grounds.” It provides a brief sense of the encampment, showcasing its surprising population density and architectural invention, while introducing several of the smaller factions, or “tribes,” into which people divided themselves.

Seen or discussed here are Music Tribe, Bike Scum, Camp Apathy, and the Love Tribe. These groups represented only a small fraction of the overall encampment, which stretched across both the north and (much larger) south lawns at City Hall. Good humor and cooperation are prominent features observed at Occupy LA, while mistrust and paranoia also made appearances.

For more texture, nuance, and surprise, the extended version of the same tour (featured below, and running just under nine minutes) provides the protestors additional space to speak for themselves. In addition, tour guide Lucas explains in more detail the layout and workings of the camp. Discussion among interviewees ranges across politics, mysticism, and even drug-fueled delusion.

Within the tribes there are numerous visible examples of creativity, cooperation, and ingenuity. In one instance, an area resident is seen repairing his bicycle. He is not a protestor, and asserts that Occupy Los Angeles has helped him to repair his bike, offering him free parts and tools on numerous occasions.

However, the extended video also explores more of the tensions underlying the Occupy LA experience. While communal living appeared to suit many participants, there are reports of theft, greed, and distrust of fellow protestors, as cliques hardened within the encampment. In an ironic twist, Lucas and a member of the Love Tribe explain how resources at the camp were not equitably distributed among participants; this is the very critique lodged by Occupy LA against the US economic system.

In another exchange, Lucas and a Bike Scum tribesman describe how – in response to a rash of thefts – the free sharing of communal bicycles had gradually given way to private property under constant watch. It appears that even anti-greed protestors consciously striving for a world of greater justice and fairness must still grapple with the darker facets of human nature within us all.

Tags:  city hall corporate greed economic justice Los Angeles occupy la occupy los angeles occupy movement occupy wall street protest social justice