Dear Occupy Wall Street Atlanta,
You seem to be under the impression that the Atlanta progressives are laughing at ya’ll, well we aren’t. Ok I can’t lie…yeah we are laughing at ya’ll. We’re laughing for one simple reason – this is the South and we do things differently. Ask any nonprofit organization in Atlanta how often a “national model” has worked in Atlanta – probably only 5%. Why? Cause we do things differently.
First, we are a community. Like it or not we are. So if you want the community to stand with you then you have to show some kind of leadership. This does not mean that there must be 1 leader, but there kinda has to be some people we kinda know. Some people we kinda know who have led a cause/movement for more than 5 minutes. You just aren’t going to get community folks to stand with you if no one knows who is leading them down the road. You just aren’t to get Atlanta folks to stand with ya if the person(s) has only been in Atlanta for 5 minutes screaming at the top of their lungs. Not gonna happen. Like it or not that’s how we roll in the Dirty South.
Secondly, Atlanta is a rural community with an awesome PR firm. Meaning that everyone knows everyone. For example if you wanted to talk to the Mayor then you would follow proper Southern etiquette and call someone who has his phone number. After that person gives you Mayor Reed’s phone number they will immediately call Mayor Reed and tell him that you are now in possession of his number and will be calling him. The Mayor will then be expecting you to call him to discuss your platform, demands, and negotiations in a private setting. Instead, ya’ll went on the Ustream to have some kind of misguided and incoherent consensus discussion about your demands. What Mayor is going to really take ya’ll serious when one of the general assembly people does a mic check saying “the Mayor should provide free health care to those who can’t afford it”? The Mayor of Atlanta is named Mohammed Kasim Reed…not THE MOHAMMED.
In the South, we respect our elders. This isn’t to say you must kiss the ring of every Atlanta elder (we have our share of cray-cray elders), but you should learn from those who have (and still are) fighting the man. Did ya’ll forget that Atlanta is the birthplace of the Civil Rights? How you gonna roll up into Atlanta and not consult with our Civil Rights elders…dumb…dumb…dumb. By now, ya’ll have learned from the Congressman John Lewis fiasco and should now be outreaching to other elders in the community. Here’s a tip: there isn’t one Atlanta politician or police department personnel that will remove an Atlanta Civil Rights Leader from private or public property. I’m just saying that if ya’ll plan on occupying our park for much longer, you might want to find a Civil Rights Leader to camp out next to ya’ll. Just an idea.
Fourthly, race does matter in the South. Of the 99% of Georgians you claim to represent, 40% are people of color. Now how does your message, oh wait you still don’t have a concise one, reflect the problems the 40% are facing. Yeah, doing that whole broad stroke thing…jobs…Wall Street…ain’t gonna do it. Why should any of the 40% march with ya’ll? Why should any of the 40% risk going to jail with ya’ll? Yeah, you need more definitive statements. We’ve heard it all before. That dude in the White House promised some Hope and Change and we are still hoping for just a little change.
Speaking of race, do ya’ll think that the Civil Rights movement progressed without including other races? Nope. Do ya’ll think the Civil Rights movement progressed without negotiations? So why do ya’ll think that a general assembly with 8 billion demands is going to progress without any negotiations? I’m going to go out on a limb and say “Hell to the No”. First rule of negotiations, you need some opposition supporters on your side. In this case, and follow the steps from above, you’re going to need some of Mayor Reed’s supporters on your side. While ya’ll were consensus deciding on what to ask from the Mayor, he was probably meeting with the Metro Chamber of Commerce trying to figure out how to not make this a publicity nightmare that will hurt tourism. If ya’ll had any of his supporters backing your movement (and I use the word “movement” very loosely) he would have been meeting with them to understand and agree to your demands (if they could even be written into a 1 page bullet point statement). See the difference. Probably not so I will type this really slow. Mayor Reed has donors, friends, and other politicians that he listens to who actually support ya’ll so it would be wise to find those people so they can speak on your behalf to him. Remember Atlanta = rural town.
Go forth OWS Atlanta. Continue using the “national” model and we will continue to mock you. Don’t hate us because you have been forewarned. Regroup and learn before the media gets bored with ya’ll. Until then I will continue to watch your Ustream and laugh hysterically.
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