OccupyTogether

OccupyTogether
Name	OccupyTogether
Formation	2011
Type	Social movement network
Location	United States (national), international affiliates
Key people	Jeremy Scahill, Naomi Klein, David Graeber, Micah White
Related organizations	Adbusters, MoveOn, Anonymous, Tea Party (contrast)
Website	(defunct)

OccupyTogether was a decentralised network and coordinating platform associated with the 2011 protest wave that began with Occupy Wall Street. It functioned as a hub linking local encampments, activist collectives, labor unions, student groups, and digital organizing tools across the United States and abroad. Grounded in direct action and consensus-based decision-making, the network sought to amplify demands about inequality and corporate influence through coordinated occupations, teach-ins, and solidarity actions.

Background and Origins

OccupyTogether emerged in the aftermath of a protest initiated in September 2011 in Zuccotti Park, Manhattan, which itself drew inspiration from movements and events such as the Arab Spring, the 2008–2012 Greek protests, and the anti-globalization mobilizations exemplified by the Battle of Seattle. The initial spark was a call circulated by the activist magazine Adbusters and organizers with ties to collectives like Anonymous and members influenced by scholars and activists including David Graeber and Naomi Klein. Early links connected to student activisms at institutions such as Columbia University and University of California, Berkeley and to unions including the Service Employees International Union and local chapters of the American Federation of Teachers. International solidarity was visible in events echoing the original encampment in cities like London, Madrid, and Toronto.

Organization and Structure

OccupyTogether operated as a horizontal, networked coordination point rather than a centralized organization. Decision-making in many local bodies used the consensus process developed within activist communities like People's Global Action and influenced by practices at the World Social Forum. Tactical coordination drew upon digital tools pioneered by movements such as Indignados and relied on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, as well as listservs and forums used by MoveOn and Democracy Now! affiliates. Legal support often involved groups such as the National Lawyers Guild and civil liberties advocacy from organizations akin to the American Civil Liberties Union. Funding and logistics sometimes intersected with non-profit institutions including local union halls and community centers connected to faith-based organizations like Interfaith Worker Justice.

Major Actions and Protests

The network supported synchronized occupations and actions that ranged from encampments in public parks to coordinated demonstrations targeting financial institutions such as Federal Reserve Bank branches and corporate headquarters like those of major banks in New York City. National days of action mobilized protests in cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, and San Francisco. Tactics incorporated teach-ins, general assemblies modeled after Occupy Wall Street meetings, and solidarity blockades that sometimes referenced past actions such as the Kent State protests in symbolic rhetoric. International solidarity events aligned with demonstrations in capitals like Athens and Madrid, and transnational labor actions connected OccupyTogether to strikes called by federations such as the European Trade Union Confederation.

Media Coverage and Public Perception

Coverage of the movement spanned legacy outlets like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and CNN as well as alternative media such as Democracy Now!, The Nation, and Al Jazeera English. Major broadcast networks and cable channels often focused on high-profile encampments and clashes with municipal authorities, while print magazines and academic journals examined structural critiques advanced by participants, linking discussions to works by Thomas Piketty and Joseph Stiglitz. Public opinion polling by institutions comparable to the Pew Research Center and commentary in editorial pages at publications like The Wall Street Journal reflected a divided reception, with sympathetic coverage in progressive outlets and critical framing in conservative outlets such as Fox News.

Criticism and Controversies

Critics targeted the movement’s lack of formal leadership and detailed policy demands, comparing it to loosely organized social movements like the Tea Party in terms of grassroots energy but contrasting on ideological aims. Law enforcement responses, including mass arrests coordinated by municipal police departments and federal agencies, raised disputes involving the Civil Rights Movement legacy and litigation invoking civil liberties groups. Allegations of antisemitism, internal governance disputes, and tensions with local residents and small businesses led to public controversies reminiscent of debates during earlier protest cycles such as those surrounding Vietnam War protests. Financial transparency and the role of outside funders prompted scrutiny from watchdogs and commentators in outlets like Bloomberg News.

Legacy and Influence

OccupyTogether influenced a range of subsequent campaigns and institutional discussions, contributing to the mainstreaming of phrases like "the 99%" and shaping policy debates on inequality referenced in the work of figures such as Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Its organizational experiments informed later movements including the Black Lives Matter network, climate justice campaigns tied to groups like 350.org, and labor organizing drives in sectors represented by the Teamsters and Service Employees International Union. Academics and historians placed the movement in continuities with earlier social movements studied at institutions like Harvard University and Columbia University and in analyses by scholars of social movements such as Sidney Tarrow and Charles Tilly. The network’s tactical repertoire—encampments, consensus assemblies, and digital coordination—remains a reference point for activists, municipal policymakers, and scholars of contentious politics.

Category:Social movements