The Logistics of Occupation

The logistics of occupation, AKA 'Urban Camping.'

As the Occupy Wall Street movement enters into it's second month, I began thinking about some of the questions that need asking. Valid questions, especially seeing as we are rapidly reaching the point where the Mexican standoff between the forces of OWS and the authorities becomes the violent confrontation that many are seemingly waiting for. The first three of my questions involve logistics for this movement and how specific functions are being taken care of in light of the significant numbers of protestors. how are these issues being addressed.

1. Sanitation 2. Food 3. Shelter

Item three is self explanatory. Most of those involved are utilizing small camping tents or tarps, or just bed rolling themselves in the shrubbery. That will soon change as does the weather and the winter chill comes and brings freezing temps and rain. I believe this is what those like Mayor Bloomberg and others have been banking on (no pun intended). The hope is that the weather will shift and make it too uncomfortable for those participating to endure. We shall see. I personally believe that before weather becomes a factor in these protests, factions inside the movement will create a clash and violence and force the anarchist purpose that they are interested in fostering.

The next logistic to examine has to be food. Just how are these protestors eating and what are they eating. More importantly, who is feeding them. It is my opinion through observation, that the bill for food is being footed by those in the unions movement. Those in SEIU and other labor unions are literally feeding the discontent. Something that may not be immediately obvious by the news reports, but none the less, it has to be occurring. Remember, these protestors are supposedly either unemployed or students or activists, so who is feeding them everyday?

Lastly, there is the issue of sanitation. As a rule, there are neither convenient or sufficient sanitation facilities in proximity to any of these Occupy Wall Street sites. Not in New Your or anywhere else they are staging around the country. Which leaves the obvious and the valid basis for a lot of complaints and discontent by businesses and residents in the area. The bottom line, these people are relieving themselves in the park and in adjacent alleys and public places. The stench has been reported as stifling.

For those paying attention, these protests have become a rallying point for every Marxist, communist and malcontent in America and the longer they are allowed to go on, the greater the probability of violence in the streets. That is precisely what the organizers want and that is where this is all leading. In the mean time, those like Bloomberg continue to draw lines in the sand and issue ultimatums. Then just as quickly, they retreat and redraw the new lines. At some point they will be forced by necessity to address the problem and the fact that they have allowed it to fester for weeks, will only mean that in the end, the battles will be larger and more protracted.

These people are not going away willingly or simply because someone tells them to leave. They are there and they are stoked for confrontation and they will not be satisfied until they achieve those goals. Meanwhile the bill for the cleanup will fall to the actually productive elements of society. That 53% who actually pays the freight. Stay tuned, it's only going to get worse.