Occupy San Diego

I was glad to have this assignment as an excuse to visit the Occupy San Diego site because I wanted to learn more about the movement. I was struck by the fact that there were only about 30 people at the Civic Center participating in the Occupy movement, and even more struck by the relative lack of organization. Apparently a police raid from a couple days prior had caused the drop in numbers. There were a couple of people that seemed to be leaders who were conducting a sort of “open mic” forum during my visit. People were able to share their stories of why they were there and how they thought the country should be changed. There were also a few committees, such as the Art Committee and the Technology Committee, which had different roles within the group. However, there did not seem to be any cohesive plan of action besides being present at the site to show solidarity. One man explained his fear for the future “if we continue to bow down to corporate greed,” but I never got a clear idea of what the objectives of the Occupy movement were.

There were a few police officers monitoring the area, and when my classmates and I exited, one of the officers said to my classmate, “You didn’t share anything,” to which I jokingly replied, “You didn’t share anything either.” He said, “You don’t want to hear what we have to say.” Although some consider police officers to be part of the 99% that are not receiving fair wages for the work that they do, it seems that the police have a generally negative view of the movement, or at least the participants. Some of the “Occupiers” were dancing and singing around the officers, mocking them.

During my visit to Occupy San Diego last week, I witnessed conflict theory at work. Conflict can often be a catalyst for social change as long as there are clear goals and objectives in place. It is clear that the Occupy San Diego participants want changes to the way that employees are paid at different levels. They feel it is unfair that the top corporate executives earn a disproportionate amount of income relative to the wages of the lower classes. However, the specific tasks which will help accomplish this goal are not apparent, and the mutual disrespect between “Occupiers” and police officers undermines the movement’s solidarity. If the “Occupiers” are able to set out clear objectives and work to improve their relationship with law enforcement, social change may be more attainable.