Encampment and Occupation on Thursday, August 28, 2008
On August 28, four days before the Republican National Convention convened, the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign set up tents at the Harriet Island Regional Park. The group’s national director, Cheri Honkala describes the group as the largest multiracial poor people’s movement in the country. Their goals are to increase the visibility of poor people’s struggles and to eliminate the multiple layers of oppression that poor people are subjected to on behalf of the government, including but not limited to racism, sexism, homophobia, classism, ageism, nationality and government-defined “legality”. A group of about 30 members set up camp “Bushville” (a historical allusion to “Hoovervilles”) and peacefully and quietly occupied the area until police notified them that they would be forced to leave the park at closing time, 11 PM.
The Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign and their allies called for others to peacefully and respectfully join them at Harriet Island in support of their goals and against the police threats. I went with a group of allies to provide solidarity, to be witnesses and to simply be extra bodies of support if needed. When we arrived around 10:50 PM, there were around 50 police on bikes on the lawn near the camp. The police and park security had rudely turned the lights off and activated the sprinkler system, causing discomfort and fear among the campers, especially among the young children. After introducing ourselves to the Campaign members, we asked what they needed from us, and we were instructed to move tables, coolers, electronics and other things away from the near-by police.
A few minutes after 11 PM, the bike police started to move in on the encampment. Everyone who was not officially with the Poor Peoples Campaign was asked to move aside and non-violently be witness to the first of many large-scale, RNC-related police actions taken throughout the week. The Poor People’s Campaign tried to negotiate with the police, but unfortunately the police were not sympathetic and were definitely not in the mood for negotiations. The unnecessarily large group of bike police surrounded the encampment while facing outwards and attempting to intimidate observers.
Soon after the bike cops surrounded the encampment, a group of what appeared to be grown men dressed in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle costumes entered the park and stood in an intimidating formation. When we realized that these were in fact fully armed riot police and that there were more police arriving by the minute, our group, along with many other witnesses felt it was time to leave. Unfortunately, we had to make the decision to leave for our own safety, even though some of us wanted to stay and provide peaceful solidarity in case the police started to exert physical force against the campers. On our way out, we passed two S.W.A.T. members who were overlooking the lawn where “Bushville” was set up. They both held semi-automatic rifles with their fingers resting on the triggers and stared at our group as we exited the park. We were lucky enough to avoid detention as we left, while other less fortunate activists were pulled over in their cars or detained while walking.
The police eventually arrested a few of the Poor People’s Campaign’s leaders and dispersed the rest of the group by forcefully threatening more arrests. This obscene show of force against a small group of peaceful, anti-poverty protesters by 200 fully armed police was quite indicative of how the rest of the week would unfold.
Analyzing this event through my white male, feminist lens presents dangers of misrepresentation, co-optation and essentialization. I simply intend to provide an understanding of the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign that praises these organizers and activists for their anti-poverty work that encompasses and acknowledges intersections and many third wave feminist issues.
It appears that based on race, gender and class among other aspects of identity, the Poor People’s Campaign was one of the most diverse groups protesting the Republican National Convention. While the Poor People’s Campaign does not explicitly define itself as a feminist group, their activism against poverty and exploitative capitalism and their struggles for visibility, justice and equality are encompassed by more recent models of intersectional and positionally-conscious feminism. Even if the campaign does not identify with or feel included in feminism, as far as opposing the intensely anti-feminist force that is mainstream American politics through their intersectional analysis of state power and repression demonstrates a revolutionary critique similar to intersectional, “third world” feminist theories.
The Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign attempts to bring poor people’s struggles to the attention of our government and society, which involves understanding and addressing the North American legacies and institutionalization of oppressions. In its essence, this approach engages many of the analytical tactics theorized by, employed by and encompasses within diverse “third world” and “women of color” positionally-conscious feminist theory.
On August 28, four days before the Republican National Convention convened, the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign set up tents at the Harriet Island Regional Park. The group’s national director, Cheri Honkala describes the group as the largest multiracial poor people’s movement in the country. Their goals are to increase the visibility of poor people’s struggles and to eliminate the multiple layers of oppression that poor people are subjected to on behalf of the government, including but not limited to racism, sexism, homophobia, classism, ageism, nationality and government-defined “legality”. A group of about 30 members set up camp “Bushville” (a historical allusion to “Hoovervilles”) and peacefully and quietly occupied the area until police notified them that they would be forced to leave the park at closing time, 11 PM.
The Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign and their allies called for others to peacefully and respectfully join them at Harriet Island in support of their goals and against the police threats. I went with a group of allies to provide solidarity, to be witnesses and to simply be extra bodies of support if needed. When we arrived around 10:50 PM, there were around 50 police on bikes on the lawn near the camp. The police and park security had rudely turned the lights off and activated the sprinkler system, causing discomfort and fear among the campers, especially among the young children. After introducing ourselves to the Campaign members, we asked what they needed from us, and we were instructed to move tables, coolers, electronics and other things away from the near-by police.
A few minutes after 11 PM, the bike police started to move in on the encampment. Everyone who was not officially with the Poor Peoples Campaign was asked to move aside and non-violently be witness to the first of many large-scale, RNC-related police actions taken throughout the week. The Poor People’s Campaign tried to negotiate with the police, but unfortunately the police were not sympathetic and were definitely not in the mood for negotiations. The unnecessarily large group of bike police surrounded the encampment while facing outwards and attempting to intimidate observers.
Soon after the bike cops surrounded the encampment, a group of what appeared to be grown men dressed in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle costumes entered the park and stood in an intimidating formation. When we realized that these were in fact fully armed riot police and that there were more police arriving by the minute, our group, along with many other witnesses felt it was time to leave. Unfortunately, we had to make the decision to leave for our own safety, even though some of us wanted to stay and provide peaceful solidarity in case the police started to exert physical force against the campers. On our way out, we passed two S.W.A.T. members who were overlooking the lawn where “Bushville” was set up. They both held semi-automatic rifles with their fingers resting on the triggers and stared at our group as we exited the park. We were lucky enough to avoid detention as we left, while other less fortunate activists were pulled over in their cars or detained while walking.
The police eventually arrested a few of the Poor People’s Campaign’s leaders and dispersed the rest of the group by forcefully threatening more arrests. This obscene show of force against a small group of peaceful, anti-poverty protesters by 200 fully armed police was quite indicative of how the rest of the week would unfold.
Analyzing this event through my white male, feminist lens presents dangers of misrepresentation, co-optation and essentialization. I simply intend to provide an understanding of the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign that praises these organizers and activists for their anti-poverty work that encompasses and acknowledges intersections and many third wave feminist issues.
It appears that based on race, gender and class among other aspects of identity, the Poor People’s Campaign was one of the most diverse groups protesting the Republican National Convention. While the Poor People’s Campaign does not explicitly define itself as a feminist group, their activism against poverty and exploitative capitalism and their struggles for visibility, justice and equality are encompassed by more recent models of intersectional and positionally-conscious feminism. Even if the campaign does not identify with or feel included in feminism, as far as opposing the intensely anti-feminist force that is mainstream American politics through their intersectional analysis of state power and repression demonstrates a revolutionary critique similar to intersectional, “third world” feminist theories.
The Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign attempts to bring poor people’s struggles to the attention of our government and society, which involves understanding and addressing the North American legacies and institutionalization of oppressions. In its essence, this approach engages many of the analytical tactics theorized by, employed by and encompasses within diverse “third world” and “women of color” positionally-conscious feminist theory.
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