Dan Lawlor: Recalling the Occupy Movement

Over the last year, the hope remains- but so does the frustration. There are many committed, dedicated activists in Rhode Island- from good government issues to marriage equality to small business owners to tax justice to housing advocates. Here's the thing though- what we're doing isn't working.

 

More people need to be engaged, and by more, I mean more. People in Cumberland, Pawtucket, Johnston, Scituate, Smithfield, Central Falls, and Warwick need to be part of activist politics. Right now, legislators can dismiss many complaints for good government as that of overly educated insiders, do-gooder 20-somethings, or the concerns of politically insignificant neighborhoods. To improve the quality of life in all neighborhoods across this state, we need coalitions- and the coalitions need to be more than a hodge podge of established interest groups. For real change, the coalitions need to be independent of the political parties, not extensions of them.

Political parties care about power - keeping it, getting it, maintaining it. We need to form neighborhood coalitions to push demands on our elected officials, to argue that in exchange for a bloc of votes, certain things must be done. What's the old phrase? Don't get mad- organize!

As we all know, high rises are large hubs of voters. In Providence, that's particularly sad considering how often political figures have let these buildings decline. Father Parenti Villa in the West End, for instance, has broken light bulbs in its elevators, and, at least about a month ago, had a fire alarm dangling by a wire in its community room.

We need community groups to demand actual, concrete improvements in the lives of people or to simply organize the improvements ourselves. Otherwise, another two years will pass and the political class will pass out a new round of jobs in the courts as most people struggle.

We need to find ways to build issue specific groups that ally with everything from book clubs to temples to farmer guilds to local newspapers, from Providence En Espanol to the Valley Breeze. I've spoken with friends from North Providence and South Providence- guess what? They're all mad at how dysfunctional this place is. Forming neighborhood and apartment associations, building alliances with other groups, and demanding that politicians respond or be voted out, could just be the key to turning this place around.

As Valley's own Timmy Murphy said, "I feel like walking around with a mirror." We can do this. We need to work to build on neighborhood strengths to hold political power accountable and to simply build community. When we're isolated into silos, the kingpins control the chess board.

For the last few years, politics have negatively hurt the disabled, the homeless, college students and their families, homeowners, LGBT citizens, and bus riders. Until people vote - until more us hold the people in charge accountable for their incompetence - we will continue to live in a state and country that values some people more than others.

 

It's time to build community, to fix problems, and to make our home thrive. We are the 99%.