OccupyVictoria - Why I walked away

I am still a firm believer that change needs to be made; that the financial inequality in our system should no longer be tolerated and steps need to be made to fix this issue. However I no longer can support the efforts of some of the occupiers in Victoria who are engaged in a battle with the City of Victoria.

One of the first things that impressed me with the People's Association of Victoria was what appeared to be an effort to minimize the costs of the protest on the taxpayers. But by fighting for their right of freedom to associate in the face of a by-law preventing tents to be erected during the day they have created not only a burden on the taxpayers but also a burden on an already overloaded court system as they force the City of Victoria to obtain a court injunction to have them removed.

The issue is that in Victoria there is a no camping by-law that restricts the tents from remaining erect during the day. The obvious solution would be to simply take the tents down during the day and only have them up when it's lawful to do so. The argument against doing just that is that the public may become unaware that the protest is continuing? Hmm, how about take the energy currently being used to fight the battle to remain in Centennial Square and move closer to demands or possibly?

It truly baffles me that many of the occupiers fighting to remain at Centennial Square fail to see that just as the City of Victoria has to balance their interests with the interests of the general public, they too have a responsibility to balance their rights with the rights of the general public - whom they claim to be acting on behalf of.

Specifically I'm referring to a conversation I was privy to after the City Council meeting where an amended motion passed in support of OccupyVictoria. While some people would accept this as the City's way of saying we will continue to work with you to create change. However some felt this was little more than political cache.

Personally I would be upset as a taxpayer if the motion passed unamended and my tax dollars went to fund a protest through supplying water and electricity to protestors. Keep in mind that I personally support the specific protest involved. Protestors should be funding their own efforts which when push came to shove they actually figured out how to generate their own electricity rather than steal it from the CRD.

All things considered, there are some highly intelligent and creative individuals who are working to educate others and hope to figure out how to change our failing system. I believe these select few of OccupyVictoria will succeed if they don't burn out. Unfortunately the good that has been done - the building of community and feeding hundreds of people through food donations - has been grossly overlooked. This is partly because the media seems to feed on the negative and OccupyVictoria's inability to get the positive messages out.

It is interesting to me that the instigators of this whole movement, Adbusters, are now suggesting a declaration of victory and retreat into warmth over the winter. Check out their Tactical Briefing #18.

While I may have walked away from OccupyVictoria I have not walked away from being more involved in the political system around me. I intend to continue my quest of learning what decisions are being made for me and voicing my concern publicly to those who have the power to make a difference. I'm even seriously contemplating the possibility of throwing my hat into the political ring so that my voice might represent the dissatisfied public.

Crazy Fort time

OccupyVictoria - Critical Times

As I sit here and right this I’m frustrated and anxious. Frustrated that people still don’t understand the occupy movement. Anxious because tonight Victoria City Council will move to vote on whether OccupyVictoria can remain at Centennial Square.

The fact that many don’t understand is partly due to the media’s negative attention to the movement and partly because of incorrect stereotypes of protestors.  The media wants people to believe that the movement has no message.  They also want the public to believe we’re disorganized and contradictory.  While a certain amount of disorganization may be present it is mostly due to the fact that few people are doing a vast amount of work in order to make this more than just another protest in Victoria.

There are MANY different people from different walks of life joining together because they are tired with the way our economic and political system continues to fail them.  The contradictions come from the various reasons why people have banned together.  Some are fighting for social injustices, some for more transparent government and others for economical reform.  Amazingly enough, it all ends up boiling down to the fact that 1% of has 50% of the wealth.

What’s truly unfortunate is that far too many people are still ignoring the issue, wishing it would go away.  These are the same people who are stereotyping the people the protestors as a bunch of hippies or homeless people.  What they fail to realize, partly from ignorance and never actually seeing the protestors, is that many of the occupiers have jobs that they go to during the day and camp at night.  Yes some of them may actually be homeless but that doesn’t mean that they don’t understand the issues of a failing system.  Last time I checked homeless people still counted as human beings and therefore are part of the 99% the movement is trying to support.

No matter what happens tonight at the city council meeting it can never change the passion that has been ignited in many people and can never strip away the reality that the first time in my life people are avidly talking politics without a provincial or federal election looming overhead.  And for a generation said to be increasingly apathetic to politics I think THAT is a significant win for OccupyVictoria.

Call out the Ringers - OccupyVictoria

As someone who has supported the Green Party in the past, and a resident of Saanich, the first politician I contacted was Elizabeth May. I wanted to get the Green Party's position on the Occupy movement. While I wasn't shocked that the party was in support of the movement I was shocked that they issued a press release on October 7th. To me this is significant for a few reasons. The global day for action was set for October 15th. OccupyVictoria rally, march and occupation took place on October 15th. Elizabeth May's riding is Saanich/Gulf Islands. For those not familiar with Greater Victoria geography, Saanich is the municipality immediately adjacent to the municipality of Victoria. The Gulf Islands are just off the coast of Vancouver Island.

In a twitter discussion with @ElizabethMay it was suggested that we call out the politicians into the open. Therefore I tweeted a request to Harper along with the Liberal Party and NDP. To date I have not had a response despite the tweet to Harper being continually retweeted. I have also not been able to find a press release on any of their websites. I will continue to "call out the ringers" such as the politicians who supposedly represent me in Parliament and the Legislature.

I didn't vote for Harper. I don't like Harper. From what I've seen in the media, he's not listening to anyone now that he has a majority government.

Part of the problem, in my opinion, is that there is not enough discussion between citizens and politicians. Partly due to not enough hours in the day to make decisions in parliament/legislature AND have ongoing discussions. Also partly due to a growing sentiment that our politicians are not really listening any way leaving people more and more reluctant to even try. We can email, write letters, and yell at the top of our lungs but if the politicians are not LISTENING it's all for nothing.

So for anyone reading this blog who feels an issue has been ignored by their politicians I say become their worst nightmare. Be relentless. Keep asking your questions until you get answers. If you don't like what your politician has to say gather friends, acquaintances anyone sharing the same opinion and become louder. Occupy isn't just about physical occupation, it's about a call to action to make the change that the current political system is not allowing for.

CALL OUT THE RINGERS

OccupyVictoria - VIHippieChick's account (Part 2)

I'll do my best to recap my experience of Day 3 and 4 of OccupyVictoria. It's been a busy time and a bit overwhelming as well. To start I want to just recap some of the highlights of the past couple days.

Day 3

• Mayor Dean Fortin came down and visited OccupyVictoria and chatted with campers.
• Victoria Police stated in a press release they are " trying to strike a balance between people's right to protest and the local by-law"

Day 4

• Camosun College Student Society (CCSSLocal75) supports OccupyVictoria

Here are some photos of the signs down at Centennial Square. They pretty much speak for themselves. These are some of the individual messages that are being delivered.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Truly this whole experience for me is overwhelming. I love to help however I can but am torn between the needs of the movement and my personal limitations. Honestly I have been debating all day about stepping away from the Process work group due to the time demand such a role takes. The participants in this group are either in planning meetings or facilitating the general assemblies six days a week. Many of us either work full time or go to school. Some of us are mothers. The mutual dedication to this aspect of the movement was demonstrated by a very smooth flowing meeting tonight.

When I'm not in a Process meeting or General Assembly or working I am watching the media. Trying to stay on top of what's being said, who wants more info and helping to bridge communication between the online world and the campers who have extremely limited access to online media.

However, despite all the demands of my time I have managed to meet a growing number of the campers. They are from all walks of life, all ages, families, a really vast community. Occupying to them is a starting point, they want people to visit, to discuss, to share ideas, to brainstorm new ideas on how we can make a difference. As one camper said, "Just start by introducing yourself."

So today I did. On my lunch I went down, chatted with a couple people I had already met and also introduced myself to a few more. In the evening it was a bit easier to meet people as many were drawn to me by my lovely side kick known as B (a very energetic 3 year old).

But it was during the General Assembly tonight that something really struck a cord with me. We had a bit of an ice breaker/team building type exercise and discussed what we want to see come out of OccupyVictoria and one person in my group said "The ability to talk to one's neighbour." Something so simple. Something that shouldn't need a protest to start. Something lost so long ago but is tangible to reclaim. While I do talk with some of my neighbours, the ones I do know, the ones in the houses next door, have made the last year of my life wonderful. I know I'm blessed by to have relationships with my neighbours, now I know I'm not alone in having wanted this for so long.

The mentality of community and ability to simply walk up to one another, say "Hi, my name is..." needs to be reclaimed. If we all knew each other better, maybe we would be more tolerant of each other simply because we understood each other better.

The need and desire for community is why I get overly emotional about this movement. And why, believe it or not, I'm often lost for words and feel far from eloquent in my feeble attempts at trying to share my experience with you.

OccupyVictoria - VIHippieChick's account (Part 1)

Yesterday I joined the Occupy movement. I admit that I'm late joining as the People's Assembly of Victoria came to life over two weeks ago but October 15th was only the beginning of what's to come. I hope to help spread the word that the movement is more than just camping and the opportunity to participate is ongoing.

I joined the march on October 15th and listened at the assembly in Centennial Square because I believe that a collective voice is louder than an individual. The current political system is failing the majority. My continued involvement is because I realize that this is not a fad and the main message from the global Occupy movement is inequality.

I'm not camping but I support those who can and are. Quite honestly I'm very much torn but personal circumstances, including not actually owning a tent, make camping difficult for me. I hope to talk more with the campers over the next couple days and share their stories as to why they are camping. What I am doing is participating in the Process working group and the Media working group.

First off - what is a working group? These are smaller groups of people who have a strong interest in specific parts of the OccupyVictoria movement. There is one for food, a safe place, tech, media, process, logistics, etc. These groups facilitate concentrated discussion on their related topics from which proposals to the general assembly are put forward. Anyone can join the discussion and the working groups have been asked to set a regular schedule of their meetings to help people plan to attend.

The Process working group's main purpose is to establish an agenda for the general assemblies and to facilitate and conduct the general assemblies keeping with the process of consensus. This was a real eye opener for me. While I've sat on various boards I am use to a majority rule. Robert's Rule of Order has prevailed. With consensus everyone has to agree. How this transpires in meetings (whether it be a working group or the general assembly) is a proposal is made by any member; clarifying questions are asked; discussion is had and a consensus is sought. Those participating can either agree, abstain or block the proposal. If there is a block the block is explained; further discussion is had and a call for consensus is again sought. This continues until there is no block. A topic can be tabled to either later on in the meeting; until the next meeting. If tabled until the next general assembly the proposal can go to the relevant working group, if any, and more concentrated discussion had for an amended proposal or new proposal. While the process produces a unanimous agreement it sometimes takes awhile to get to the agreement.

Some people questioned why there is a need for a process working group and the answer, in my opinion, is simple - there needs to be some sort of order to aid everyone in working together. Otherwise we'll all try to speak at the same time and no one will be heard. 

The start of the October 16th general assembly demonstrated that. A proposal was put forward to open an account with a credit union to keep the cash donations received in a safe place. Questions non-related to the proposal were raised and despite advising those concerns would be addressed later on in the meeting, the whole discussion went off topic awhile. Once the process was accepted and adhered to by all participating the meeting started to flow again.

The media working group currently is trying to liaise with media requests for interviews. We work together to respond to requests and schedule an interview with a member from the People's Assembly of Victoria. May sound simple but so far those of us in the Media working group all have other commitments such as school and jobs which make it a challenge to respond to these often time sensitive requests. As the movement evolves I imagine the role of the media working group will evolve as well.

So that's a little bit about my experience on Day 2 of OccupyVictoria. I hope to share my perspective daily. If you want to help OccupyVictoria please check out paov.ca for updates from the various working groups. Also stay tuned to my blog as I will continue to share my experience with OccupyVictoria.

From Crazy Talk to Reality

A few weeks ago me and three of my single mom tweeps fantasized about a life where all four of us lived under one roof and could assist each other in raising all the children between us. The Single Parent Co-operative. For days afterwards I couldn't let go of the idea. There has to be a way that single parents can ban together to help each other not just get out every now and then but to be there during the emergencies; supporting each other in the good and bad.

There is....start smaller. I broke down the concept into two phases - child care and housing. Then I added a phase - programming for the kids such as sports or music. But to get started I needed money.

Then I saw a tweet from another tweep (incidentally another single mom) about The Awesome Shit Club. A group of people that raise money, accept submissions of awesome shit, and give away money to the most awesome idea.

That brings me to tonight’s adventure. I became an “Awesomer” of the Awesome Shit Club. I presented my idea alongside 10 other Awesomers o the 16 Awesomites who voted on who was the awesomest and win the pot of funds. There were a LOT of awesome ideas and all pretty diverse in topics and fields.

Long story short – I didn’t win. But sometimes it’s not the intended prize that makes an experience worthwhile. It’s the connections and networking that further an idea to bring it to a reality. I walked away with two contacts interested in helping make the crazy talk of a few single moms into a reality. Because of them, I feel I won.

Cause for concer?

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For the last year I've been fighting X's perception that I'm a cold and heartless bitch.  Normal considering I left him.  But more recently I've noticed that his delusions run deeper than just me but now involve B.

Last Tuesday I went to pick up B and as he ran out to the car he tripped.  What was unusual about this was B’s reaction.  He began crying but not his “I’m hurt” cry.  When I tried to comfort him he ran around the corner of the house and leaned against the house covering his face.  Neither X nor myself seemed able to console B.  I took this as B being embarrassed by tripping and falling.  X took this as B being mad that B had to go home and couldn’t play with X any more.  Really?

At first I shrugged off the incident as another example of X thinking everything was about him.  But this morning I drop B off ten minutes early.  I tell X that B has been asking for him for about an hour – which was true.  X scoffed as if I were lying. 

Now I know how much X hates being early and have many times been treated negatively for being five minutes early without notice but seriously!  I have never been dishonest to X.  He has no reason to distrust me and furthermore, I would NEVER use my child as an excuse.

Am I overreacting?  I know I’m very protective of B and concerned how the divorce has and will affect him but am I being too protective?  Or is there a legitimate cause for concern?

A Pleasant Surprise

This week I have been battling a cold.  Never fun.  Then consider I'm a single mom with a high energy toddler.  Double whammy.  But SURPRISE!  B yet again through me for a loop.  He tossed a balloon at me.

I was simply minding my own business, sitting in my rocker watching B play, struggling to make it to that precious moment when the night time ritual begins and it would be closer to bedtime - for both B and me, when B tossed a balloon at me.  As the balloon bounced off my startled face B tried to catch it but fell over.  B giggled.  I laughed.  Again B tossed the balloon at me and a random game of catch began.

As I admired B's success at getting Mama to play despite feeling like total crap I also chuckled as B put so much energy into attempting to catch the balloon with both arms that he'd lose his balance every time, fall over and burst into laughter only to try again.  Truly proves the theory that learning through play works.  B was having too much fun to notice his struggle with actually catching the balloon.

These are the moments that make me cherish beiing a parent.  Melts away all the struggles that come with parenthood.

 

Is it REALLY the thought that counts?

At the risk of sounding ungrateful - I've got to say the unexpected gift card from X is a bit frustrating.  Frustrating because while I'm struggling to make ends meet without any child support I get a Starbucks gift card.

Now for those that don't know me, I LOVE coffee.  I spend many hours in coffee shops.  The fact that X got a Starbucks gift card shows he does know at least one thing about me.  But somehow holding on to "it's the thought that counts" doesn't shake my frustration.

What X has failed to notice is the fact that B is back in cloth diapers rather than training pants.  At a time when we're actually making headway on potty training and right after I asked X to buy training pants rather than diapers (he refuses to use cloth).  Problem is I don't have enough money to buy training pants right now.  I even tried to exchange some duplicate videos B received at Christmas for training pants but couldn't cover the difference.  I left the store near tears.

How did I get this poor? A series of unfortunate events.  A massive fear being homeless with a two year old while BC Housing found me a home in subsidized housing.  Almost half my salary goes to keep a roof over our heads.  Being under employed. I've been trying to find full time employment but unfortunately there isn't much option in this town for a paralegal.  I thought of moving to another city where I could find better employment but I can't afford to move.  The possibility of getting another part time job is limited by the odd hours I currently work and a custody schedule that leaves me little time without B.

Maybe I just need to escape my stresses and go enjoy a nice latte...at least it'll be free.

Trying to Find the Silver Lining

Maybe its the rain.  Or maybe its the double standard.  Either way, today I'm having trouble finding the positive in my world.

I woke to a text message from X stating he fell at work and hurt his back and therefore doesn't want to pick up B from daycare as planned.  Before you think "what a bitch" for grumbling about this please note that I pulled a muscle in my back on New Year's Eve and have been in pain ever since.  It's very difficult to heal a sore back with a toddler that still likes to be carried. 

While I would normally let the boy have a tantrum this week it's been raining and I'd rather not have my child rolling around on the cold wet ground even if it means furthering my pain.

Now don't get me wrong, I feel for X.  I do hope his back gets better quickly.  I just wish that I had someone to take B when I was hurting in order to shorten the time it takes for me to heal.

Yes I chose this life.  I chose to leave X and be a single parent.  Despite the physical pain I feel today it was still the best decision for both B and myself.  All the struggles, all the pain are worth the increased overall happiness.  Life isn't perfect.  It never will be.  But sometimes it's just too much for me to find the silver lining.

Hopefully my mood is just from the rain.  Hopefully the sun will come out today.  It's Thursday and for some crazy reason the sun usually comes out on Thursday afternoons right about the time my boss tees up for a round of golf.