We're years behind Tunisia and Egypt in public understanding of how government of, by, and for the people works, but some in the United States have been inspired and begun forming a path that has real potential. In New York City, students, academics, activists, and workers have joined together to resist the global-national-local agenda of plutocracy being pushed by Mayor Bloomberg.
The numbers are small, but the alliance joining workers with students important. And the approach is exactly right. This group is attempting to interfere with the work of City Hall until City Hall comes to represent the people of New York City. And they are attempting to do this, not for an hour or a day, but until they are satisfied that the tide is turning in a better direction.
See this blog: http://bloombergvillenow.org
And this one: http://nocutsny.wordpress.com
And this one: http://www.nycisnot4sale.com
Spread the word on FaceBook and Twitter. Reach out to people you know in New York and ask them to join in. Show them this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pgJyRs5EeM
Show the hesitant ones this New York Times story http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/15/in-bloombergville-budget-pr...
or this WPIX news video: http://www.wpix.com/wpix-bloombergville-protests,0,4237065.story
We are going to need to cover this planet with Bloombergvilles of various names in the coming months and years.
In the United States, of course, city and state wins won't save us from a national government that works for the war machine and Wall Street.
A growing movement is planning to create the nation's largest Walkerville, Bloombergville, Nouveau-Hooverville in Washington, D.C., beginning October 6th. How many others can we establish between now and then? And how many people can plan to be there? http://october2011.org