instinct for cooperation

I’m so excited to see the library immortalized in The Instinct for Cooperation: A graphic novel conversation with Noam Chomsky & Jeffrey Wilson, just out from Seven Stories Press. Illustrated by Eliseu Gouveia.

Jamie & Zachary are featured in one of the chapters about the library – they were heroes to me before, but now, illustrated, even more so!

“Incidentally the power structures were very worried about the library.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Illuminator

Maybe it’s all the retrograde planets now making me remember old times. Or maybe the fact that Mark Read appeared to me in a dream, messing around with machines and wires. Whatever the reason, the Illuminator‘s early days have been on my mind & looking at this site I realized I never posted much about it.

Here’s a video of the first night we drove into Manhattan to Zuccotti Park fully expecting to get arrested. We had a lawyer with us on board, just in case, Lopi steering the ship, Danny & I repping the library, Brandon on documentation & Mark. Apologies if I’ve forgotten anyone else who was with us in the van, seems so long ago already.


N17 blew people’s minds. The light then really made me know that the city is ours, the streets are ours. “You are a part of a global uprising… Another world is possible.” It’s been almost five years, is there still any doubt? I’m so deeply grateful to have been part of this & share the video below for those who weren’t there.

other Illuminator/N17 coverage:
AlterNetBeautiful Trouble | Boing Boing | CNNThe Guardian | The New York Times |

Babylon makes the rules

Michael’s round-up of media coverage on the library blog brought the Daily News’ article to my attention. It’s got a lovely quotation that recalls some of what this settlement’s about:

“Remember the anti-authority message of Occupy Wall Street? Remember the backlash over its vague goals and nebulous methods? Surprise! Occupy Wall Street (OWS) just struck a sizeable victory, and it came by working within the system.”
Read more here.

Working within the system.

Babylon makes the rules, but that doesn’t mean we’re incapable of playing by them. 

Illuminator debut this Saturday

Occupiers, 99%-ers, Fellow Insurgents–

The rumors are true. Deep in the bowels of Brooklyn the plans were hatched, the forces gathered, the dream made real. The Illuminator has been given form and will ride out on its maiden voyage this Saturday night, March 3rd, as part of Low Lives: Occupy! Its mission: To smash the myths of the information industry so that people might see for themselves what the 99% movement is fighting for.

The Illuminator is a tactical media tool and spectacularization machine, a beautiful and useful instrument to be used to grow and strengthen the movement in New York City and around the country. We’ve got big plans. Go to the website, follow us on the social media outlet of your choice, and stay tuned.

To catch us on Livestream on Saturday night at 7:28, 8:26, or 9:24pm, check in on the Low Lives channel: http://www.occupywithart.com/llo-live-channel/. To catch us live, follow us on one of those aforementioned outlets.

See you in the Streets,
The Illuminator Team

 

ALA Midwinter Conference in Dallas

I’ll be presenting in the ALA Masters Series at the Midwinter Conference in Dallas this weekend with fellow Occupy Librarians Mandy Henk, Zachary Loeb, Jaime Taylor and Danny Norton. We’re very excited to be able to connect with so many librarians about our shared passions. If you’re in the area, please join us.

Saturday January, 21 at 8:30 am in the Dallas Convention Center Theater.

ALA Press release here.

Full text of the presentation is here.
Coverage from American Libraries and Library Journal.
And a post-panel interview with American Libraries Editors George M. Eberhart and Sanhita SinhaRoy.

To Autumn

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness! (Keats)

I spent time yesterday at the Department of Sanitation digging through the rubble of what was left from Liberty Park. It was the second day I’ve spent doing it. The NYPD officers there know me by now and we’re friendly enough to chat to help pass the time. I was asked more than once why more people hadn’t shown up for their stuff. I didn’t have a good answer. Maybe they don’t know about it or maybe it’s too difficult to get here. Others posit that we’re just too lazy to get it together to get uptown or maybe we don’t want to be in the system because we’ve got priors or something to hide.

Yesterday I was really interested in filing claims against the city and Bloomberg that they should pay for what they’ve destroyed (“destruction of private property–that’s an actionable offense.”). But today I’m wondering how could they ever? It’s impossible to repay. We’ve got two different realities at clash. This is the paradigm shift we’ve been talking about for so long. One reality is Bloomberg’s world of finance and hierarchy, where people just follow their orders and there are claims to file. The other isn’t even about that. It’s not all about finance, it’s a gift economy. The second reality is a world of interdependence and connection, of mutual aid and relationships.

When I move to file a claim against the city, my underlying need is for some retribution, some justice. I want my whole community back, but it can’t be bought with monies paid out by the city comptroller. What I mourn is the destruction of the love and goodwill that was embodied in the creation and daily life of Liberty Park.

It’s not just the cost of the tents and the sleeping bags, the clothing and all the gear. It’s not just about how much the electronics cost or the generators or any other thing. Their true value isn’t reflected in their money cost. Justin’s leather portfolio was given to him at graduation by his grandfather. It is irreplaceable. Its value doesn’t derive from the cost of the leather or of the craftsmanship of the thing in itself. The value is in the love the object was steeped in and the feeling it created over time.

So too the People’s Library built entirely of generosity, of love. So too all the tents, all the mittens, all the jackets, all the socks. Every pizza, every energy bar, every bottle of water. Almost every aspect of life at Liberty Park was created through a generosity of community spirit with a foundation in love. This is not quantifiable. It is the destruction of our home, of our community.

What happened at Liberty Park wasn’t just clearing a park of a bunch of campers or people leaving piles of books around, it was an attempt to sever the ties of love, community and support that had taken root and begun to grow.

I believe that what any gardener knows will prove true for our community as well. Bloomberg’s deadheaded us and our community– temporarily destroyed the visible, flowering growth. It’s almost impossible to kill a plant by deadheading, it’s actually one of the best methods for creating new growth. Now our roots can grow deeper and stronger. Thanks again for your help, Mr. Bloomberg! It really is the beginning of the beginning.

Biblioklept

Originally, I just swiped your tag @marykvalle and @JeffSharlet– Bloomberg Bibliocide– but only because it’s so lovely. Thank you for it. Bibliocide. But it could be meaning the degradation of the book’s narrative when re-cast as a film. It could also sound like we’re calling for his death by books. Maybe biblioklept instead? I’ll change it here, but know please, in my heart that I love you and your tags.

xo,
Betsy
@blizf

Here are some links:

Al Jazeera: http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2011/11/2011111681642279467.html

AlterNet: http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/731822/bloomberg%27s_bibliocide_update_on_confiscated_%22people%27s_library%22_books/

American Libraries: http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/news/11162011/occupy-wall-street-library-regrows-manhattan

Library Journal: http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/home/892805-264/occupy_wall_street_library_removed.html.csp

NY Daily News: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/occupy-wall-street-protesters-return-zuccotti-park-tents-head-depot-reclaim-belongings-article-1.978485?localLinksEnabled=false

New York Times: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/16/protesters-find-their-belongings-in-chaos-at-a-city-garage/

Rachel Maddow Show (11/15/11): http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/vp/45316274#45316274

The Stranger: http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2011/11/16/nypd-didnt-realize-that-you-can-damage-books-by-throwing-them-around (Yes, that’s a Bible on top of the pile)

Village Voice: http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2011/11/occupy_wall_street_library.php

Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/occupy-library-bloombergs-book-problem/2011/11/16/gIQAhHcrRN_blog.html?socialreader_check=0&denied=1

WNYC: http://www.wnyc.org/blogs/wnyc-news-blog/2011/nov/16/zuccotti-park-demonstrators-trying-reclaim-items-confiscated-police/
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