#Occupy...there is a misunderstanding here between mayors, cops and the protesters...

[Fire Walk With Me]

Please help me to nail this down. The mayors and cops are acting as if this is a violent protest. They don't understand it, that this is about our country reasserting its power, its very soul, that it's not about violence. They are not understanding that this is about America re-awakening to something better for everyone.

So long as this gap exists, so long as this misunderstanding continues, we are stumbling and fighting each other when we are all truly in this together, for the best. There is some unseen barrier to be crossed, what is is?

[Fumesucker]

1. They know...

That's what scares them..

[valerief]

4. Bingo! nt

[Uncle Joe]

20. Precisely, they do understand it, they're not afraid of violence so much as a true challenge

to our dysfunctional, and ultimately suicidal status quo, inertia hates movement.

I believe that's why sloth is one of the "Seven Deadly Sins."

I also believe this column by Naomi Klein captures the essence of the situation.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x637463

[MedleyMisty]

2. They're authoritarians

If you're not sitting down and shutting up and obeying, you're wrong.

Check out Bob Altemeyer's work on authoritarians - http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~altemey/

[saras]

7. You pegged it. They "get" it all - EVERYTHING. They just interpret it differently than you or I.

[Riftaxe]

17. Repeal the laws that are being enforced

would be the solution to that.

Good luck with that.

[lob1]

3. They know the protesters aren't violent, but they can't use

force to break us up if they admit it. And most intend to break us up.

[SomethingFishy]

5. Shit, they are so pissed that the protests are non violent

they are sending in people to stir shit up so they can justify what they are doing. It's an old playbook as anyone over 50 can tell you... What they are totally unprepared for is the tenacity and the resilience of OWS. THey all thought this would be done in a week. As evidenced by that stupid letter the Oakland cops sent out, what they are looking for is for everyone to go home sit down and shut up and just take whatever is shoved at them.

[Fire Walk With Me]

6. It might be that they do not yet understand that THEY ARE US, that they have more to gain

on our side than on the 1%'s...I know that this has been said over and over, but I can FEEL it now, just waiting to burst upon them.

[Kashka-Kat]

8. Ive said this elsewhere, might as well repeat - my impression is that there needs to be

more alliance building - between "our side" and the police, the unions, and how about .... police unions. I can't believe that Wisconsin cops are all that different than cops in other places. Yeah, their job is to exert "authority," but they are also union members - on our side. Which isn't to say that things dont sometimes get tense when their job entails arresting people.

I've never done civil disobedience myself but from what I hear from people who have done it, there is generally some communication between themselves and cops to let them know there won't be violence or resisting of arrest. I've been wondering for a while whats going on with the communication - or lack of - between protestors and cops, and protestors amongst themselves. If there is consensus to remain non violent then there's obviously a problem with the follow-through in some places!!!!

[TheKentuckian]

9. It is probably time to be honest with yourself and cease inventing a narrative

to explain away the wickedness of our supposed representatives.

They know good and well what is going on and are trying to kill it because it threatens the establishment and profits.

All friction isn't caused by misunderstanding and it isn't helpful to assume that is the case when such an assumption doesn't stand up to reality.
Don't be distracted by a (D) next to someone's name or who they go home to. They are in place to do the bidding of the wealthy and the powerful.

[GliderGuider]

10. +1. You get it.

That's precisely the situation. Well said.

It's kind of like assuming that climate change deniers simply don't understand the science, and if we just explained it a little more clearly... That's not what's going on, and assuming it is is a recipe for self-defeat.

[rgbecker]

13. You guys have made it crystal clear. Thanks.

The civil rights movement of the 50's and 60's was also non violent yet the establishment was threatened and their boys lashed out against change.

[Fire Walk With Me]

12. I'm looking at the core issues. I'm believing that the answer is that these cops today

in Portland do not want to injure other people.

You cannot hurt someone else without hurting yourself.

This is the awakening, this is the answer, this is the division between those who are moving forward in the world and those who are quickly being left behind.

I wonder if we are going to see it today. It will be a sea change. It is the Trend, I simply haven't looked at when and where it will first visibly occur.

[Golden Raisin]

11. Maybe somewhere

1% (no pun intended) of the mayors and police are really clueless and don't get it, but 99% know EXACTLY what's going on, and in great detail. There's no misunderstanding. Hell, a lot of them would happily ban all public assembly and free speech if they could get away with it. Saw the same sort of thing happening 40+ years ago during the Vietnam Era protests. We were all a bunch of "dirty hippies" and drug-crazed too.

[MedleyMisty]

15. Is anyone else creeped out by their obsession with personal hygiene?

And the haters on Twitter go all crazy fantasizing about the protesters urinating and defecating in public.

It's like a toddler style obsession with bodily functions.

[Odin2005]

14. There is no "misunderstanding", the PTB are terrified and are lashing out.

[TBF]

16. There is no misunderstanding. As far as the 1% is concerned they like their wealth.

They are not going to give up that or their power easily. Those who think they can do it without violence are even bigger dreamers than I am.

[Fire Walk With Me]

19. I mean about those who serve the 1% knowingly or unknowingly.

I'm counting upon an epidemic of inner conscience to turn this around.

[XemaSab]

18. The best thing the cops can do

is ignore the protesters.

Maybe have like two cops hanging out in case there's an incident like protesters getting run over, but other than that, just ignore them.