These Streets Are Already Occupied

p (Image courtesy of span data-scayt_word="dignidadrebelde.com" data-scaytid="1"dignidadrebelde.com/span - created by Melanie Cervantes)/p p strongThese Streets Are Already Occupiedbr / Poor peoples, indigenous peoples in the struggle to take back out streets, banks, stolen lands./strong/p p We were there but we weren#39;t, John Williams, poverty span data-scayt_word="skolar" data-scaytid="2"skolar/span, skid row resident and a member of the Washoe Nationnbsp; whispered to me overnbsp; pay phone static./p p YOU HAVE FIVE MINUTES the span data-scayt_word="tel-com" data-scaytid="3"tel-com/span pay phone warned us both. John was calling me from a pay phone in Skid row of Los Angeles, he and many of my fellow poverty and indigenous scholars who are currently residing in the cardboard hotels across span data-scayt_word="Amerikkka" data-scaytid="4"Amerikkka/span don#39;t have span data-scayt_word="cel" data-scaytid="5"cel/span phones, nor do they have lap-tops, or i-pads, or propane stoves which seem to be the norm for participants of most of the actions across the US./p p We saw them coming shouting this is what democracy looks likenbsp; so span data-scayt_word="alot" data-scaytid="6"alot/span of us span data-scayt_word="houseless" data-scaytid="8"houseless/span folks who have been down here for years joined in but then after awhile it was kind of like we weren#39;t really wanted there in their occupation, John concluded./p p As I witness the power of the resistance over the last three weeks of all of thenbsp; Occupations (wrongly named cause these are occupied, stolen lands already) across the nation, my heart is warmed that people are finally standing up to bank theft and government theft, and yet i have heard and seen span data-scayt_word="alot" data-scaytid="7"alot/span of the same race and class divides play out that seem to play out everywhere in the US. In the intended lack of organization there is a default leadership that is mostly male, mostly white and/or mostly privileged, and isn#39;t clearly speaking of the already occupied, stolen indigenous lands that they are marching on and the deep struggle that all of us fighting span data-scayt_word="criminalization" data-scaytid="10"criminalization/span, span data-scayt_word="po'Lice" data-scaytid="11"po#39;Lice/span span data-scayt_word="harrassment" data-scaytid="12"harrassment/span, border fascism, span data-scayt_word="houselessness" data-scaytid="13"houselessness/span and span data-scayt_word="po'lice" data-scaytid="14"po#39;lice/span terror have already been dealt with for years./p p I know that i can go and speak in the general assembly about this - but, sadly like NYC span data-scayt_word="PNN" data-scaytid="16"PNN/span correspondent, Maria Lourdes and many of my fellow poverty, migrant and indigenous span data-scayt_word="skolaz" data-scaytid="17"skolaz/span at POOR Magazine, i can#39;t represent at the actions very much. span data-scayt_word="i've" data-scaytid="18"i#39;ve/span got three under the table hustles just to keep the very poor POOR magazine and my family ok. It is why we at POOR Magazine talk about the privilege of activism, media and art itself and why some people get heard and many people get silenced. It is why POOR Magazine#39;s span data-scayt_word="PeopleSkool" data-scaytid="19"PeopleSkool/span provides education, facilitation, BART fares, stipends for articles and direct emergency advocacy so thatnbsp; poor peoples in struggle can even work on organizing and create media./p p I amnbsp; very sad that protestors got their things seized the other night in SF, but i am constantly sad, shocked, depressed and overwhelmed when thousands of us poor folks who sleep, stand, sit, span data-scayt_word="covene" data-scaytid="20"covene/span or work on the street while poor/black or brown have been having our belongings confiscated for years without anyone caring or any mention on Democracy Now./p p My intent is not to splinter these powerful acts of resistance, but rather to help vision them as truly inclusive and revolutionary spaces for all peoples. If they are mostly white or privileged peoples acting and resisting, great. cause then maybe span data-scayt_word="po'lice" data-scaytid="15"po#39;lice/span abuses will finally get noticed, abuses of span data-scayt_word="houseless" data-scaytid="9"houseless/span peoples will finally be seen, racism and apartheid can truly be recognized and acted on./p p So my hope is that the folks who do have the space, time or ability in their lives to show up and put their bodies in these acts of resistance,will truly understand that these lands are already occupied and have been occupied for hundreds of years as indigenous stolen land and that so many peoples struggling with deep poverty and racism are already there on the streets, right next to you./p