On November 17 I walked down with a group of my classmates to Sproul Plaza. Several were carrying already-erected tents, intending to create a scene. By this date, most Occupy encampments had been evicted and the movement seemed to be losing steam. Adbusters suggested two days previously that Occupy Wall Street ‘declare victory’ and refocus its efforts. On the Berkeley campus, police had dismantled the few remaining tents the night before. There was still enough tension though that a camera crew and a few police officers milled around the plaza. As the students entered the space, chanting loudly, they let go of the tents and got the reaction they were hoping for.
A tent and large banner float over Sproul Plaza, centre of Occupy Cal as well as the 1960s Free Speech Movement
17
The half-domes floated slowly upward, climbing until they reached the top of Sproul Hall. Lifted by hundreds of balloons, they sauntered slowly overhead, as a large banner unfurled between them read OUR SPACE. A local reporter quipped that it ‘flew in the face’ of the administration’s ban and represented a takeover of the plaza. Perhaps it was a bit pompous. For me, it was just one group, one public, staking their claim for many to follow. c
Fraser, Nancy. ‘Rethinking the Public Sphere: A Contribution to the Critique of Actually Existing Democracy’ Social Text no. 25/26 (1990): 56–80.
Young, Iris Marion. “The Ideal of Community and the Politics of Difference.” Social Theory and Practice 12 , no. 1 (Spring 1986): 1–26.
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator