[OccupyComms] Safe Spaces Testimony

[Alma Segundo]

Hi,
I am Mac and some of you might know me already. I am Chilean and I am
active member in the UK Occupy Movement in the National Level in Media and
Women's Network, and I am currently based in Glasgow.

On Thursday Feb 9th, 2012 I had the chance to participate in the GA in
Saint Paul's camp, where we agreed on several important agenda points,
specially: How to enforce Safe Spaces Policies, Occupy LSX Statement of
Support to their Homeless Community and a proposal of support to Movements
Against NHS and Welfare Reforms.
Alongside with Kiki, Didi and Sara, members of the Women's National
Network, we participated in the Process meeting before the GA, facilitated
by Phil and we agreed on opening the Safe Spaces conversation with Sara's
testimony, then mine and finally move into the Stick Exercise to encourage
people to share their experiences regarding Safe Spaces without
interruptions or pressures.

The Process meeting was a positive experience where John and Ben joined us
in the conversation among others, and we managed to make a
schedule/time/topics plan for the afternoon.
In the GA, Sara brought our attention to the multiple different people that
are part of our movement, nevertheless we forget about their conditions and
we need to work for them too to create a Safe Space, like the members of
Saint Paul's kitchen, who go through endless shifts to prepare great food
and keep us fed. Since her work in the Women's Centre in London, Sara was
able to bring our attention to asylum seekers, immigrants, people of
colour, single mothers raising families, and our homeless community present
in every camp and occupation in UK. All of them are actual or future
members of our camps and need to be respected in a Safe Space as we all
expect to.

Then, I had the chance to share my experience, meeting Sara, the Women's
Centre and being part of the Women's National Network. I shared how I
realized how lucky I've been without knowing it. Before joining Occupy
Movement, I thought everybody shared the same feeling I felt about my
position in life. I thought everybody was entitle to share their opinions,
to put their points across, to feel they are important and they are
respected.
Sadly, working with Sara, Didi, Nina, Ruth and Lisa, I realized it is not
like that for everybody. Many people become invisible and they get used to
not be heard. Therefore, visible people need to acknowledge the invisible
and make them bloom.

I shared I believe Safe Spaces is a culture, a way to be with each other
and that is exactly what I think occupy should be, a safe space for
everybody to be in this world. I recognized how lucky I've been since I was
raised to think I am ok just the way we are and that Occupy Movement should
spread the same message to everybody, you are OK just the way you are!
Specially to those, who constantly hear it is not true.

After this, everybody shared their experiences and concerns holding the
stick, a few members decided they didn't want to. It was a beautiful
experience, which I recorded with my photo/video camera, after asking
permission to the GA. We realized many people didn't feel safe, or felt
insecure in the camp or had experienced violence, negligent or mistreatment
on site. Specially shocking was the testimony of a black/wheel chair user,
who shared with us that he was beaten and locked for two days in the Bank
of Ideas and finally spent 3 days in hospital. This story was specially
outrageous, since we couldn't understand why this person was hit and mostly
tortured, taking his liberty away inside of one of our buildings in the
Occupy Movement.

Of course, this needed further research and clarification and support
mainly for the person involved. The facilitator prioritized to continue
with the agenda, even when some members in the GA asked for a change on the
schedule to hear the man's story and help him. We moved on into the agenda
and we agreed on staying after the meeting to address the safe space issue
and support this man.

The GA carried on with the Homeless Statement and discussion of the NHS and
Welfare Reforms. We couldn't agreed at the time on both statements to reach
consensus and we agreed to work on them further for Saturday's GA.

At the end of the meeting, everybody stood up, some members left and I
decided to go outside the university tent and take some pictures of Saint
Paul's under the snow. When I got back I ran into Didi, Kiki, Phil and the
man in the wheel chair. I realized they had already had discussed with him
briefly what has happened in the Bank of Ideas, to take further actions.
They agreed that somebody from the Legal Working Group was going to take an
statement of the events.
At that point, John approached the group and started to say to Didi that
she had affected deeply an other member in the GA, Em, and that she was
crying because of her behavior. John pressed Didi over and over again to go
to her and apologize, at the moment I didn't know it was Em. Didi
explained, Nina, a colleague in the Women's Network was talking with Em to
find out what has happened and that she didn't think going over there was
going to help. John was quite pushy about his requirements and he said he
couldn't believe that Didi didn't have the heart to go over there an
apologize. Didi kept saying that Nina was taking care of it and that she
didn't think they attacked the person since it was an straight forwards
conversation.
Finally, John left after the requirement of Didi. I though his physical
behavior and tone of voice were a little aggressive and probably unhelpful
to clear the situation.
I asked Didi what has happened, and she said that they approach the black
man to talk about his story. Em was also part of the group that approached
him. Since Em, in the GA, didn't agree with the statement of support to the
homeless community questioning the length and the way to put forward the
message and committing to work in a new version, the black man asked her if
she had blocked the document. She said yes and left the conversation.
Nina went to talk to her and asked why she blocked the document. Em said
she didn't want to discuss it; and Nina said: Fair enough.
After that, Em was crying.

The day after, we found out that through group space email list, John had
sent a letter to the LSX community asking for the Women's group to be
banned from the GA for 6 weeks after attacking Em. Even when, Em said the
issue was resolved.

I shared this letter with you and my partial knowledge of the experience as
I recall it.

I would like to open the conversation to try to understand why are we
asking for a group of women, where I believed I was included too to be
banned for the GA. These women have been a major support network for women
and women's issues in London and in every city in the country where we have
hold a national conference: Edinburgh and Sheffield.
Without going into details I have to say that I have been able to count
with their support, knowledge and friendship to feel safe and secure while
I am a member of the Occupy movement, even when I had to faced pressures
and threats, and false accusations among members in Glasgow.

I want to also say, that I had the chance to be part of Occupy Conferences
in London, Edinburgh, Sheffield and now I am working in the organization of
the Liverpool one. I have been in LSX a couple of times and I am an active
member in Occupy Glasgow. And I keep close contact with several occupiers
in Birmingham, Exeter, Edinburgh, Leeds, Sheffield, Newcastle, London and
Brighton and I participate in the International European Occupy Movement,
through internet.

I have realized that many forms of attacks are reaching our community
everywhere in UK and probably around the world.
1. Facebook pages hacked.
2. Twitters pages hacked.
3. Main Occupy websites temporarily hacked.
4. Arson attacks in London and Glasgow.
5. Anti-Occupy Media/Bloggers Campaign: Glasgow, Edinburgh, lately The
Guardian in a national level, though they dropped the article.
6. False accusations to core members of being undercover journalists or
paid policemen, while real one go quite.
7. Constant attempt to interrupt process and hold the movement from
reaching consensus in local and national GAs, specially in the last one in
Sheffield.
8. Secret groups and independent working groups not accountable to GA
popping out. Autonomous actions drive by ego, power, or money control.

My invitation is to take care of ourselves and of our movement; to work
hard on process during direct democracy consensus, to grow in the culture
of safe space and transparency and to have an open heart to keep working.
There are no short-cuts, just to walk the walk! ;)
Finally, I want to say that you should take care of Saint Paul's, it is our
little Zakutti Park, it is the national image of the movement. From many
cities in the country, we are supporting your and worried about you.
When I was in London I realized, some people are just waiting for Saint
Paul's to disappear, also I realized they don't want Saint Paul's to go
tranquil. Some people want Saint Paul's to fail, go away with no Safe
Spaces, with no Accountability and no Direct Democracy supported and born
out of the GA.
Keep an eye!

Best wishes to everybody,
Feel free to re-send this letter to other occupiers.

-- 
Mac
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