Lora Lucero: Open Letters to Democrats and Republicans on Occupy Wall Street (OWS)

This is a guest blog by Lora Lucero, a long-time resident of Albuquerque, NM, an adjunct professor of law at UNM and the Natural Resources Director for the League of Women Voters of New Mexico.

Open Letter to Democrats
As a fellow Democrat, I “get” your enthusiasm for the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement and the protesters gathering in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Taos and Las Cruces. These young people, old people, veterans, union members and others are putting their bodies on the line and their voices to the bull horns for many of the same values that the Democratic Party considers its bedrock principles. I don’t speak for the OWS but we’ve all heard that their demands include social and economic justice for all Americans, accountability from Wall Street for the mess it has created and reining in the influence of corporations, lobbyists and money in our elections. 

We may not be able to camp out and sleep on the ground with them, but we certainly want to show our support and align ourselves with the OWS energy. A couple of examples of Democrats supporting the OWS this week, however, raised alarm bells for me.

The UNM Teach-In at the Student Union Building presented good speakers all week on topics of interest to the OWS movement. I attended one day and heard a CNM professor talk about the history of protest movements and the importance of organizing strategically to grow the OWS movement. He then urged the OWS protesters sitting in the audience to redirect their energy into electoral politics, and specifically urged them to support a specific Democratic candidate running for Congress in CD-1. I cringed when I heard this, even though I personally support his candidate.  

The second “cringe” moment occurred this weekend when I heard that Democrats were going to march with the OWS and carry their Democratic Party banner. Ouch!  

Let’s be frank. The 99% (as the OWS protesters call themselves) have a lot of work to do to grow the OWS movement. They need our support and active participation. Every Democrat should attend at least one Assembly meeting at Yale Park next to the UNM Campus Bookstore.   

Truthfully, however, the OWS movement would not have captured as much of the popular outrage among Americans if the Democratic Party had been true to its bedrock principles over the past twenty years. Many Democrats see very little difference between the political parties. Young people even question the wisdom of voting --- and I don’t blame them.

The Democratic Party has failed the 99% and should acknowledge its failure. I don’t believe we have much to teach these OWS folks, but we can certainly learn alot. Having spent hours watching and listening during their Assembly meetings, I know these young people have wisdom beyond their years.  

Please don’t misunderstand me. I encourage people of every stripe to actively engage with the OWS movement, but let's do so humbly and with respect, as individuals who identify with the hopes and aspirations of the 99%. Individuals can support the OWS by:

1. Donating pizzas and eats 
2. Donating warm clothing and bedding
3. Donating supplies for signs, bullhorns, flashlights, etc.
4. Attending Assembly meetings and actions as individuals
5. Increasing the OWS visibility in the community by writing letters to the Editor, talking to neighbors and putting up a 99% sign in your yard.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party has a lot of work to do to regain the faithful, perhaps the subject of another letter. But please don’t try to turn the OWS movement into a partisan movement. It isn’t and it won’t be. As one OWS leader said at the UNM Teach-In last week in response to the discussion about organizing: “It is complex when we have such a diverse group. We need to speak about our commonalities, but also acknowledge the differences and respect how we see the world differently.”

Open Letter to Republicans:
As a life-long registered Democrat, I don’t “get” you but many friends and family members are registered Republicans, and so I want to extend an invitation.  

Please check out the Occupied Wall Street (OWS) movement in your town. When you hear protesters shouting “We are the 99%” --- please know that they are building a movement big enough for everyone.  We may have very different ideas about how to fix things, but I suspect we can find agreement on what is broken.  

The growing income disparity in this country impacts us all. The lack of accountability by our government and corporate America should alarm everyone. The diminishing prospects for my granddaughter’s future are shared with your grandchildren. 

We don’t have to agree on everything, we just need to listen respectfully. That is exactly what I have seen at every OWS meeting that I have attended. 

People with divergent views and opinions come together to share, discuss, hash out and decide together what direction to take. I was stunned and thrilled when a middle-aged, self-identified Tea Party person attended and shared her ideas with the OWS folks. They listened to her deeply and with respect. She was heard and could see for herself how her words were influencing the group.

This is a watershed moment and we’re lucky to be alive to witness it. Let’s not be mere observers though.

This is a guest blog by Lora Lucero. To submit a piece for consideration as a guest blog, contact me by clicking on the Email Me link at the upper left-hand corner of the page.