The Occupy Crackdown: Feminist Open Thread

Today is a crucial day for the Occupy movement. Last night, the Occupy Wall Street encampment was evicted under orders from Mayor Bloomberg, and many protesters were arrested upon returning to Zuccotti Park. A judge has now ruled against the encampment.

The need for honest, accurate media documentation has never been so crucial. That’s why Ms. is embedding video of what’s happening in New York, for feminists to watch and bear witness. Check back here as the day unfolds.

[iframe http://cdn.livestream.com/embed/occupynyc?layout=4&height=340&width=560&autoplay=false 560 340]

In this time of conflict and arrests within the Occupy encampments, we must remember the people in the 99 percent who face particular risks of violence and mistreatment at the hands of police: women, trans and other LGBTQ, the undocumented, those with disabilities and protesters of color. Those on the ground, please look out for each other, and if you see someone being abused, speak up.

There’s been excellent and abundant feminist coverage of the Occupy movement, from first-hand experiences to exercises in theory. Now, as Occupy faces a critical juncture, we want to hear what you think.

Those who are Occupying, in New York and elsewhere, post your updates and thoughts from the front lines in the comments below, tweet them to us @msmagazine, or email pictures to blog@msmagazine.com.

And all readers, we want to hear from you: What do you think of the Occupy movement? What will the events of the last 24 hours–and the next 24 hours–mean for the feminist movement?

Photo by flickr user Sunset Parkerpix under Creative Commons 2.0

About

Hey y’all! My name is Mimi Seldner, and I’m a 22 year old Ms. Magazine intern, writer, activist, artist, and English major at the University of Florida. My concentration is in Queer Theory, and this, as well as feminist theory and politics, human rights, and social justice issues inform my entire life, from my politics, to my art, to my writing (the three of which are usually interrelated). These issues, and my stubborn, assertive, and feet-dug-in, oil-striking stand on them also govern the ways in which I live my life. I’m wordy, witty, and willful, to say the least (a habit that I am not in, accordingly). I recently relocated from one sunshine state to the other (Florida to California), in order to pursue this amazing opportunity to intern at the feminist-force-to-be-reckoned-with, Ms. Magazine, in all her glory, and I am looking forward to inspired collaborations, and to creating many things imperatively worth creating. Also, there are free sticky notes.