I am a student at Seattle Central Community College. I didn’t care either way about this whole “Occupy Seattle” thing. I do now. Walking into the bathroom and finding people sleeping on the floor, drug baggies on the steps near the campsite, smelling marijuana virtually every day, being asked if I have money, cigs, etc., EVERY DAY is not okay. Watching a couple of people from the encampment get into a fight and pound each other’s head on the concrete is not okay. There are so many people hanging out on the campus who do not go here. There is a torn-up couch with graffiti on the lawn, bales of hay piled up, garbage all over the place. This is NOT Tent City! Maybe in the beginning these people had the right intentions. Now, not so much. The way I have been treated is not at all “peaceful.” So, so, so many of my classmates feel the same way and also feel that it doesn’t matter what they say. Nobody cares. See, no one asked me, a student, if it was okay. I came to school and there they were. My schoolmates have been asked numerous times if they want to buy drugs. Sorry, but this is out of control. This isn’t fair to the students, teachers, and staff. You aren’t hurting the “Big Guys,” you’re hurting us students.
—Anonymous
This progressive occupy movement has proved to be very unprogressive. The only outcome out of this has been shit tent cities across the nation for bums, anarchists, druggies and homeless to unite and dwell in their own feces. And guess who’s footing the bill? The 99%’s tax dollars! It’s time the authorities eradicate these ‘occupier’ tent villages once and for all!
@48 – Hmmm…. sounds like you’re in the SAM building up top with the photo/design-heads. It’s funny how the bathrooms and hallways get cleaner and better-smelling the further you get from the first floor of the BE building.
That said, if you think SCCC classes – and first/second year college classes don’t have their fair share of stoners in them, you’re not paying attention. If you’re in a class where the stoners stay quiet… you’re lucky.
It’s unfortunate some SCCC students and community members have been alienated by the Occupy camp.
Here’s my list of qualifications that “entitle” me to voice an opinion (just to offset the entitled presumptions about dirty deadbeats in some of these comments): I have a job, pay taxes, pay rent, have a Master’s degree, and have done a shitload of pro-bono work with local artists, organizations & businesses.
I’ve also spent a good amount of time volunteering at the Occupy Seattle camp; I like to make up my own mind based on first-hand experience vs make a bunch of assumptions when I don’t know shit about fuck like #23. I haven’t seen the homeless flashing any iPads and fancy iPhones at the camp in any of my time there. I do know a sober, kind, positive-minded homeless man who is camping there while dealing with very serious health issues (don’t worry- not contagious), going in for medical procedures on his rapidly-disappearing social services assistance, then returning to his tent in the freezing wet cold and trying to sleep off his pain. These homeless are neglected and ignored by our society and they are not going to simply disappear because you blink your eyes.
Occupy Seattle’s not perfect but it’s doing a hell of a lot more to address these issues than most of us are on our own. I agree alienating a community college is not the right move; my understanding is the camp moved there upon invitation of the teacher’s union. Nothing is static, the movement can and will evolve beyond the camp. The Stranger published a great feature on all the hardcore activism that’s been going down in Olympia over the past week.
Please de-occupy. If you don’t like living in the US that much, just immigrate to China, Mexico, or wherever. I’m sure they’d love to have you and would grant you asylum immediately since you’d obviously contribute so much to their societies. Please leave the country to us 1%ers. And clean up your feces too.
Just because someone writes it doesn’t make it so. If there really was a drastic increase in drug dealing (and who doesn’t know of a college, esp. community college, that doesn’t have drugs), then it would be all over the news, or at least Fox Noise. Most likely this I, Anon is someone being paid by a major financial institution to post crap like this. Probably #56 as well.
@ 57 If they are being paid, then they did a great job on their research…the tents are a joke, except to the high school kids who go home to their parents homes every night. The support they had at the beginning began to dissipate when students started asking real questions about how camping at SCCC was going to break “the man”.
The Occupiers told us they would leave during the day and go to Westlake to protest. They never did, not during school hours.
They had buses to take them to Olympia on the 28th so they could occupy somewhere where real change could take place, instead it was business as usual.
@36 ” Maybe you need to educate yourself a little more on what this movement is about…”
No.
I can’t stand this line that people throw out.
“You need to educate yourself”
If there is something that is important to you and you don’t think others get it but YOU think we should, then it is YOUR job to educate us. To expect is to go out and spend our valuable time to learn about something that YOU think is important on our own is supremely arrogant.
If you are running a movement and people aren’t getting what your movement is about that means that you have done a piss poor job of expressing to others what it is about.
“You need to educate yourself” is the lazy response of the self-absorbed.
If you want people to understand what your issues are then get off your ass and explain it in a comprehensible way. YOU put in the effort to get people to understand if you don’t think they do.
If you expect people not an active part of your movement to expend the effort to “educate” themselves about your movement then your movement is as good as dead.
Big ups to #59.
Speaking as someone who’s been involved on-and-off with many types of activism for over a decade, YOU HAVE NO ONE TO BLAME BUT YOURSELF if the public can’t understand your message. Most of the job of being an activist is educating others using accessible language. Real activists understand that, but teenage crust punks who just want to pick fights with cops do not.
One Occupier who gets tons of praise on SLOG (Ian Awesome/OneAngryQueer) told me when I criticized Occupy Seattle’s bridge takeover/dance party, to “stop watching the Kardashians and start paying attention.” Really, that is the best explanation you’ve got for your movement? And a person’s sole two options are blindly embracing Occupy Seattle or being a vapid celebrity-obsessed bimbo? His comment sums up the entire intellectual and debating ability of the local movement for me.
Who cares if you matriculate? Your not gonna get a job, Anon! Or have you missed out what OWS is protesting?
@56: Gee, for someone who acts like he doesn’t give a shit about the rest of us, you sure have massive bowel movements spewing out of your mouth.
You have my permission to leave the country anytime, frat boy.
And take your feces with you.
Wow, they make a mess and expect others to clean up after them. Wonder where they got the idea that such behavior is acceptable. Don’t they understand that we are a society that thrives on accountability? Oh, wait…
And why does the poverty and addictions of others stir hatred in you, while the rich’s perverted corruptions go unmentioned? Who has committed the greater crime– a gathering of intrusive poor people, or a cabal of manipulating lobbyists and financiers? You call occupiers entitled, dirty, bothersome hippies, but they are nothing compared to the truly filthy entitled scumbags that have illegally disrupted our system and worsened the lives of millions.
It’s sad to see what brings out the negativity in people. Where’s the complaining about the banking system and dirty politicians leading us over a cliff? Is all the negative focus on the most disenfranchised among us? These “homeless people” you believe to be oh so lower than you in the faux hierarchy of humanity are inconveniencing you for a few months. A few MONTHS. Absolutely nothing compared to how the thieving upper crust have inconvenienced every facet of our lives for fucking years.
Oh, the tragedy of misplaced outrage and disdain. And you say the occupiers are difficult to take seriously.
@60: Were you deliberately ignoring everything else Ian had to say? Because I assure you, he said more than what you chose to focus on.
@48: Or it could just be that the students, you know, the people who trashed the bathrooms and elevators in the first place, are back to their old tricks. Old habits die hard, you know. Those bathrooms have been disgusting and pretty-well unusable for years before occupiers pitched their tents on campus.
@59: So you want to continue to have your hand held and information fed to you by people you readily admit you don’t trust? Because by “educate yourself” we are merely telling you to get off your couch and come on down to talk to people. You know, do your own fact-checking, and stop allowing others to tell you how to feel. It’s difficult to break away from that bubble, but you can do it, I promise.
@56: So you’re completely okay with your rights being eroded? Because that’s what happening in this country right now.
SCCC is, has been and always will be a dump. Quit your fucking whining ya spoiled ass cunt. Life ain’t fair. If you want to do something earn some money and then attend a real fucking college.
The SCCC that you’re describing doesn’t sound all that different from the SCCC that I attended 10 years ago. If you find the trappings of an urban education distasteful, perhaps you should look into a more sterile environment. Bellevue College sounds like it’s just your speed.
@67, Why don’t you give me something to fact check in the first place? That’s the problem. You want me to go out and find out what your issues are. There are thousands of movements and people with issues out there. How many do you get off your ass to check out on your own?
If you have a movement and a message it is your job to get the message out there. I have no reason to give you more attention than any other movement out there. If you can’t articulate a reason why anyone should give you their time and energy then you are going to fail.
Every person out there has a million and one things fighting for their attention. A thousand and one things that demand their time and energy.
Give people a reason to choose you and your movement to focus their limited time and energy on, or don’t and act all superior and condescending while your movement fails. Then you can blame everyone else for your failure because we all didn’t do what you wanted even though you gave no reason for us to.
Perhaps if you didn’t try “telling” people what to do, and instead tried giving people a reason to do what you want them to do you would win over more minds.
No one tells me how to feel. Not even you. You are as guilty of trying as anyone however when you tell us what we should do without giving us a real reason to.
Sounds like sccc (and the hill in general) when I attended in the 80’s. If you have a problem with the urban environment, perhaps you should consider bcc or highline.
I suppose some of your complaints are legit, but you sound hilariously sheltered and prissy. (Hint: if you are offered drugs and you don’t want them, all you have to do is politely say no and keep walking.)
Anon wants college to be college and the party to be somewhere else. Nothing wrong with that.
Ok! Listen up! I was at the meeting last night with the occupy movement…they passed a law:if you are using drugs,you will be evicted from the camp…TENT AND ALL…period!!! Any drug use off campsite is not the movement’s problem…it will be delt with by the police!!! The occupy campsite at SCCC is now a DRUG FREE ZONE…PERIOD!!! NOW,I DON’T WANT THIS PAPER MAKING UP ANY MORE BULLSHIT ABOUT DRUG USE AMONG THE OCCUPY MOVEMENT CAMP AT SCCC!!! IT IS NOW DRUG FREE!!!
@74: Good for you for helping take action at Occupy SCCC!
Occupy ANYWHERE needs to continue as a globally growing movement of people out to end the gross inequality and out-of-control irresponsibility of the super rich and corrupt.
@74 – What about my Medical Weed? Wanna see my card? I’ll smoke WHERE I WANT, prick. You sound like The Man to me.
@74 – what about alchohol, caffeine and nicotine?
Looks like occupy caved on this one. That said, sometimes backing the F*** up is sometimes the better part of valor.
I hope it helps them carry on, but somehow I think it will just be more fodder for endless general assembly time wasting/douchbaggery by crazy fucking consensus retards. Too bad.
I too, attend classes at SCCC. Not once has anyone approached me regarding drugs, a cigarette, money, or anything for that matter. I walk past the courtyard at least twice a day with no incident. Yes, there will be homeless people there, yes, there will be people who do drugs there (whether they look like it or not), yes, people will want to bum a cigarette or money off you. Think about where you are, this would happen anywhere, not just in the occupied site. Have you talked with anyone at the site? My guess is: most likely not. There are educated, articulate people there who may be there for several different reasons. A movement doesn’t necessarily have to have just one. I suggest along with your general studies, you also do a little research on the movement and reasons as to why they chose that site. You might want to invest some time reading about how the school plans to evict them. While you’re at it, perhaps you should look into how much it’s costing the school itself to provide outdoor restroom facilities and sanitation detail. Find out where THAT money is coming from, if you’re at all curious. I know I am. However, I’m very FOR the movement, because I’ve done the research on it. I know why they’re there and if you had any clue, you might be a little more scared of what is really going on and a lot more forgiving of the occupiers. Most of the occupy sites have committees that clean up the site and do their own sanitation detail. If someone offers to sell you drugs, you have the right to say no. Feel free to report the offending party to the school security staff, that is why they are there. Have you made your feelings known to the school administration? Do you know where the school stands on the whole situation? As a student, you SHOULD be very informed about what’s going on in your school. Why does it sound like you aren’t? I really like SCCC and I actually commute from Tacoma to attend classes there, even though there are two community colleges much closer. The occupy site has not had any impact on my ability to pursue an education at that school, and if it is affecting yours, perhaps you should stop complaining and do something about it. My best advice is, if you feel strongly enough about it, find out what you can do instead of expecting someone else to do it for you.
Sounds like Anon. is describing an SCCC and a Broadway that existed at any point in time over at least the past 30 years.
You know, this Occupy stuff would all go away if the job creators actually…like…created jobs.
I think we ought to organize around a WA State income tax. Fo’ realz, yo.
It was a mistake to offer any camping ground to these misguided deluded protestors. If you want to make s difference that matters, you need to be protesting AT THE SITE OF THE ENEMIES YOU PROTEST you stupid fucks. Wash DC, Oly, Bank Property.
Not harrassing normal every day people, not staying permanently encamped like some asshole houseguest that will never leave.
Its not your place to tell everyone if you are bothering them or not. We are telling you that we are. And to this you say BFD, its for a bigger cause. Only .. what IS that cause? pissing off authority that matters? not happening. Getting your message into public debate? Arguably a little, but not as effectively as going to the sites of the actual crimes, not SCCC. Unless SCCC is now one of the 1%, which would be news to them I’m sure.
Effective protest action is not what I’m seeing walking past every day. I’m seeing a self-centered bunch of egotists who don’t feel like working hard enough to make a difference squatting on public property and talking up their own game, then if you debate them violently responding, like you did with that guy with the “Occupy Someplace Else” sign. Apparently one guy questioning you is enough for you to snap and resort to physical assault. And I just bet he was one of the 99% too. Hell, he was even expressing his free speech. Why’d you trample his rights? Are you no better than the police???
Meh, welcome to the real world, and meet the real people.
Sorry you have to deal with the unwashed masses after paying so much money. Shouldn’t it make you grateful, compassionate, desirous of change? Instead you’re just a whiny brat. There is nothing inherently harmful about being subjected to begging, witnessing a fight, or smelling (onoes!) pot smoke. All of these things will happen if you venture into the wider city, anyway — you just can’t climb back into the ivory tower anymore and pretend it doesn’t exist. Well, good for that!