Fold the tents and Occupy higher ground: editorial
By The Plain Dealer Editorial Board
Chuck Crow, The Plain DealerOccupy Cleveland protester Natalie Leissa of Lakewood holds a 99% flag underneath the Tom Johnson statue on Public Square Oct. 26, 2011.
It may not feel like it to the protesters who have been evicted from their encampments, but recent moves by city officials across the country to uproot Occupy Wall Street and many of its local spinoffs might be the best thing that could happen to the young and still evolving movement.
Over the past two months, Occupy supporters have forced the issue of income inequality into the national conversation. They've also given voice to widespread frustration that Wall Street is essentially back to business as usual while Main Street continues to suffer from the brutal recession triggered by this "too big to fail" crowd.
But movements need to keep moving, and, quite frankly, Occupy has been in a rut. It has produced few specific policy goals and, having seeded a conversation, seems ill-equipped to participate in it. If Occupiers remain in their tents much longer, they will face both personal hardships in the winter ahead and the likelihood of more criminal activity and public health concerns that will further undermine their credibility.
Much as it may pain both groups, Occupy Wall Street and the Tea Party both embody a kind of populist angst about the direction of the country. When Tea Party conservatives moved from rallies to active participation in political campaigns last year, they helped change Congress and the Republican Party.
Occupiers interested in making long-term change -- however they might ultimately define it -- would be wise to emulate that approach. It doesn't even have to be electoral politics. Look at the Cleveland activists who have begun supporting foreclosed families; that's a fresh idea. The alternative -- becoming a sideshow -- is a ticket to oblivion.