Occupy Chicago "Mic Checks" Rahm, Ald. Joe Moore [UPDATED]
By aaroncynic in News on Nov 22, 2011 9:40PM
In actions planned to oppose Mayor Rahm Emanuel's budget and to call for dropping the civil disobedience charges of hundreds of protesters in October, Occupy Chicago managed to “mic check” both Emanuel and 49th Ward Ald. Joe Moore yesterday.
Late yesterday afternoon, Occupy Chicago activists interrupted the mayor’s remarks at an appearance on their way to City Hall to deliver petitions. As Emanuel remarked on the new "Lightscape" installation, demonstrators chanted “let us exercise our First Amendment rights!” and went on about cuts to mental health facilities and public schools, reports the Huffington Post.
Afterward, members of Occupy Chicago headed up to the 49th Ward to a Democratic Party meeting where Moore was speaking. Demonstrators chanted at Moore: “We are here because you and the City Council unanimously chose to support Rahm Emanuel’s budget. This budget will cut services in Chicago’s poorest communities by 17 percent…This is not an honest budget,” NBC’s Ward Room reports.
Occupy movement "mic checks" Joe Moore from Kaavya Chandrasekaran on Vimeo.
Some in the media have criticized and will continue to criticize Occupy Chicago for their tactics in interrupting the Mayor and one of Chicago’s more progressive Democratic Alderman. (Edward McClelland asks “does Occupy want allies?”) OC is well within their rights to criticize publicly and politically.
The point of both of these actions wasn’t to make allies or collaborate, but hold each politician accountable for his respective actions. Demanding Emanuel drop the charges at this point is futile — he won’t — and calling for a permanent place to camp doesn’t seem logical, given that winter’s coming and OC has said multiple times they’re looking for an indoor space. But, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t take their grievances to him.
While Moore may have publicly sympathized with the movement, they’re unhappy with his choice to vote for the Mayor’s budget. It is well within the rights of any person, be they a member of Occupy Chicago or a member of the Tea Party, to voice their disapproval in public protest of a politician’s decision. McClelland wrote:
“Occupy, you alone are not “the people.” The people of Chicago elected Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the City Council, who voted unanimously for this budget. If you try to shout them down, you’re violating the democratic principles you claim to support.”
Such an analysis leads me to believe that McClelland suggests that, because a politician chooses to support some policies, it’s then proper to support every vote and action he or she takes, out of concern for building or respecting an “electoral majority.” In other words, political criticism of policy should only go towards candidates with which one disagreed, out of fear of criticizing potential allies.
If anything, that’s part of the culture of politics that Occupy movements around the country have said is a contributing factor to the mess we’re in. If we don’t hold our politicians accountable after we elect them, then what’s the point of voting them in at all?