One Thing After Another

Several FOIA requests regarding the FBI and DHS and others vs Occupy have produced intriguing results. 

Not surprisingly, what they show is that the Federal Government has been actively coordinating a mutual response to the Occupy efforts which at times has included violent assaults by militarized police on encampments, nonviolent protests and demonstrations.

It's not surprising because it was obvious as it was going on last October and November. The strategy was clear enough: break up and destroy the encampments, disperse their denizens, prevent them from coming back. Use infiltration and monitoring online communications for intelligence, conduct mass arrests, confiscate and destroy campers' property, present the appearance of overwhelming force. Meet any resistance with "measured" brutality.

Later, the strategy changed somewhat to include stings and set ups such as have been used against Muslims and others for many years, and the widespread replacement of mass arrests with "snatch-and-grab" take-downs and kidnappings of supposed leaders/troublemakers of protests and demonstrations. At the NATO conference in Chicago, authorities utilized the tactic of night raids and arrests of people (apparently targeted by infiltrators) who might commit crimes.

Anyone who was paying attention could suss out the official strategy toward the suppression of Occupy rather easily. That it was a coordinated strategy between dozens of local police forces was also obvious. What wasn't necessarily clear prior to the release of some of the documentation recently acquired was how it was all being coordinated through DHS and the FBI. Those aspects are still not entirely clear, and they probably won't be for some time to come. The outline, however, is straightforward.

Interestingly, some of those who have looked at these documents and considered their implications have come to the conclusion that what has been released is in the nature of a government leak -- in other words, that the authorities want this information to be known throughout the Occupy community so as to thwart any idea that somehow The People are winning -- or that they can win against an implacable and coordinated militarized force of police and a solid phalanx of dedicated civic bodies.

I'd say that's a little bit of a leap, but it's not too far fetched.

So far, it seems, the strategies of suppression that have been employed have worked pretty well.

And propaganda, of course, is a major part of any suppression strategy. Propaganda is the key.

"Leaked" documents detailing a portion of the coordination through DHS is an effective form of propaganda.

One of the more startling things I've noticed with regard to Occupy from my groundling perspective is just how obvious the strategies employed to suppress the movement have been and how successful they have been in achieving their objectives.

I saw this video yesterday regarding Chicago, and I think it is worth paying attention to, for the speaker, Jerry Boyle (the man in the suit) explains at length and in detail just what kind of strategies are being employed against protests and demonstrations and what their purpose is -- as well as some of the history behind them. 



Video streaming by Ustream

Boyle points out that the authorities are engaging in warfare against dissenters. Their objectives are clear:

 Those objectives include making sure that "good people" are so frightened by the potential for violence -- whether by the police or "black bloc" doesn't really matter -- that they will stay away from support or participation in Occupy. In the background all the time is the fear of the "terrorist" label -- which is being applied more and more openly by civic authorities against Occupy and the other anti-globalist protests, with a particular emphasis now on the upcoming political conventions in Charlotte and Tampa.


Now that the encampments are almost all destroyed, the objectives of the authorities include making sure that they don't come back primarily through show of force and intimidation tactics which seem to have been worked out and fine tuned in Oakland and New York City.

Boyle's advice is to remain flexible and unpredictable among other things. Yes, well...

Meanwhile, the indifference and unresponsiveness of government and institutions to the plight of the People is expected to continue without remorse or let up indefinitely. The only things the Ruling Class seems interested in -- besides gambling, war and resource extraction and control -- is taking away what little remains of peoples well being and economic security so as to backstop any potential losses at the top of the finance pyramid.

We're in for one thing after another for the duration.