Opinion
‘Occupy Sandy’ Outperforms FEMA
“Challenging People to Shape
a Better Future Now”
B ERNIE F OSTER
Founder/Publisher
B OBBIE D ORE F OSTER
Executive Editor
T ED B ANKS
Advertising Manager
J ERRY F OSTER
Account Executive
L ISA L OVING
News Editor
H ELEN S ILVIS
Multimedia Editor
B RUCE P OINSETTE
Reporter
D AVID K IDD
Graphic Designer
M ONICA J. F OSTER
Seattle Office Coordinator
J ULIE K EEFE
S USAN F RIED
Photographers
The Skanner Newspaper, established
in October 1975, is a weekly publica-
tion, published each Wednesday by
IMM Publications Inc.,
415 N. Killingsworth St.,
P.O. Box 5455, Portland, OR 97228.
Telephone (503) 285-5555.
E-mail: info@theskanner.com
World Wide Web site:
http://www.theskanner.com
Fax: (503) 285-2900
The Skanner is a member of the
National Newspaper Pub lishers Associ-
ation and West Coast Black Pub lishers
Association.
All photos submitted become the
property of The Skanner. We are not re -
spon sible for lost or damaged photos
either solicited or unsolicited.
© 2011 The Skanner. ALL RIGHTS RE SERVED.
REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART
WITHOUT PERMISSION PROHIBITED.
To see The Skanner
News on your smart
phone go to
theskannermobile.com
or scan this QR code
with your app.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Local news
Opinions
Jobs, Bids
Sports
Entertainment
Music reviews
Bulletin board
RSS feeds
R
emember two months ago,
on the anniversary of Occu-
py Wall Street’s insertion
into national and popular culture,
when all the major media outlets
declared Occupy dead?
Those very same media outlets
had to swallow those words in the
aftermath of Hurricane Sandy,
when activists from OWS formed
a new group — Occupy Sandy —
to help afflicted communities in
New York recover from the
“superstorm’s” devastation.
They had to swallow their words
again when Occupy Sandy began
outperforming
organizations
whose very job it is to help com-
munities bounce back after disas-
ters. When the Federal Emergency
Management Agency shut its
doors at the onset of a second
storm, a Nor’easter, blowing
through New York City, Occupy
Sandy picked up their slack.
This became such a big deal that
even the New York Times —
which historically has not been
very kind to movements centered
around highlighting economic
inequality — could not ignore it:
“Maligned for months for its
purported ineffectiveness, Occupy
Wall Street has managed through
its storm-related efforts not only to
S TATELESS S OCIETY
Trevor Hultner
renew the impromptu passions of
Zuccotti, but also to tap into an
unfulfilled desire among the resi-
dents of the city to assist in the
recovery. This altruistic urge was
the afflicted and to sort through a
medieval marketplace of donated
blankets, clothes and food. There
is an Occupy motor pool of bor-
rowed cars and pickup trucks that
ferries volunteers to ravaged areas.
An Occupy weatherman sits at his
computer and issues regular fore-
casts. Occupy construction teams
and medical committees have
‘This is not the first time grassroots,
activist-based aid groups have
outclassed both federal and non-
profit disaster relief’
initially unmet by larger, more
established charity groups, which
seemed slow to deliver aid and
turned away potential volunteers
in droves during the early days of
the disaster.
“In the past two weeks, Occupy
Sandy has set up distribution sites
at a pair of Brooklyn churches
where hundreds of New Yorkers
muster daily to cook hot meals for
been formed.”
This is not the first time grass-
roots, activist-based aid groups
have outclassed both federal and
non-profit disaster relief. Hurri-
cane Katrina saw the formation of
the Common Ground Relief Col-
lective. That organization, found-
ed with the principles of
horizontal, voluntary association
and direct action in mind, began
helping people in the Lower Ninth
Ward before FEMA or the Red
Cross could even set up camp.
These ad hoc groups of activists
and volunteers seem to work better
than the government or NGOs, but
why?
One possible reason is that the
activists and volunteers are pulled
from the affected communities
themselves, rather than coming
from without — therefore, they
understand the neighborhoods
they’re working in, know the peo-
ple and can gauge their needs
quickly. However, this is not
always the case; Common Ground
was started by four out-of-town
street medics.
Another possibility is that hori-
zontally organized groups based
on the principles of free associa-
tion and mutual aid are just superi-
or to organizations steeped in
bureaucracy. The evidence for this
is growing rapidly, as more people
take control of their own lives and
help their neighbors during times
of crisis, economic, ecological or
otherwise.
Trevor Hultner Center for a
Stateless Society
A Post-Election Mobilization Agenda
A
fter we savor the feeling of
sweet success that comes
from President Barack
Obama’s election, there is work to
do. Most of us got the outcome
that we both worked and hoped
for, but we have to resist the temp-
tation to exhale and get on with
our work. Before the president
takes the oath of office for a sec-
ond time, African Americans
should mobilize around these
issues:
SEQUESTRATION. Unless the
Democrats and Republicans can
cut a deal during the lame-duck
session of Congress, our budget
will be cut automatically. While
House Speaker John Boehner has
softened his tone just a bit and
indicated his willingness to com-
promise, he still has to herd his
Tea Party colleagues into also
agreeing on ways to avoid seques-
tration. The notion of cutting
expenditures at a time of slow eco-
nomic growth makes no sense.
Neither does sequestration, a des-
perate move to avoid a compro-
mise. What do we need to address
the deficit? A long-term plan that
takes economic cycles into
account.
POVERTY. Tavis Smiley and
Cornel West spent much of this
fall on a poverty tour, rising up the
27 percent of African Americans
who live in poverty. This contrasts
with the Middle Class Tax Force
that President Obama has asked
Vice President Biden to lead. It
would be great if the president
would form a task force to reduce
or eradicate poverty, and he might
do so if he were urged to. Mean-
while, as the holidays approach,
keep the poor in your community
in mind, and find a local charity to
sponsor.
Page 4 The Seattle Skanner November 14, 2012
are engaged.
B ENNETT
C OLLEGE
Julianne
Malveaux
STATE AND LOCAL ELEC-
TIONS. Presidential elections
seem to suck all of the air out of
the political landscape, and rightly
so.
We elect a president only
THE HOUSING CRISIS.
Despite action at the national
level, many banks are dragging
their feet rather than offering mod-
ifications for under water mort-
gages. Just a fraction of those who
qualify for these mortgages have
been offered them by their banks.
Congress probably can’t deal with
this issue during a lame duck ses-
sion, but it is certainly time for
people to get together to reverse
this trend. The problem: Too
many of us are ashamed to talk
African Americans have been
President Obama’s most loyal
supporters. When will we get the
attention we deserve?
every four years, and his (maybe
one day her) focus have long-term
implications. But so do city coun-
cil, school board and mayoral
about our financial status, thinking
it’s a personal problem instead of a
structural problem. The solution:
Many banks are dragging their feet
rather than offering modifications for
under water mortgages
elections. Many are held in off
years so that local candidates don’t
get swallowed in the national
hype. It’s a great time to get
involved in these elections or even
consider running yourself. Voting
is literally the least you can do, not
the most you can do. Failing to
engage in full civic participation
cedes your choices to others who
Consider involving a state legisla-
tor or local leader in developing a
workshop for those who are under
water. Get bankers there to
explain why so many have not
been offered loan mortifications.
Take the results to your con-
gressperson and ask them to act on
it.
PARENT PLUS LOANS AND
OTHER HIGHER EDUCATION
ISSUES. While the federal gov-
ernment provides an opportunity
for students to have parents bor-
row for their tuition, the federal
government has tightened require-
ments on the loan to the point that
nearly half of those who qualified
last year do not qualify any more.
The result? Thousands of student,
especially at HBCUs have the
choice to pay up or get out. Or, the
other choice is for colleges to
“carry” these students. This is a
bad idea when regulators judge
colleges, especially historically
Black colleges, by fiscal stability.
Speaking of education, this is a
challenging time for HBCUs to
experience cuts in Title III and
other federally-sponsored pro-
grams. In a second Obama term,
issues affecting HBCUs should be
high on the list of things our pres-
ident must pay attention to.
6. THE AFRICAN AMERICAN
COMMUNITY. African Ameri-
cans have been President Obama’s
most loyal supporters. When will
we get the attention we deserve?
We can’t meekly ask for it, we
have to demand it. With high
Black unemployment rates, chal-
lenged inner city employment pos-
sibilities, and high dropout rates,
our community is in desperate
need of attention. The location of
one federally funded new state-of-
the-art high school, with both hon-
ors programs and job-training
programs, can make a real differ-
ence in inner cities.
Julianne Malveaux is a Wash-
ington, D.C.-based economist and
writer. She is President Emerita of
Bennett College for Women in
Greensboro, N.C.