Let's face it: Drug use at Occupy L.A. (Photo Inside)

Submitted by 99Percent on

99Percent's picture

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Is this what it's all about? Are homeless drifters just using it as a temporary home? Looks like it. 

Last Friday (10/21/11), I was taking a photo when an "Occupist" asked me to please stop. Huh? Stop taking a photo? Am I asking anyone to put their sign down, or to stop making so much goddamn noise, or as someone to please stop killing the City Hall's grass? In an area where people are voicing their opinions and using their freedom of speech, I was asked to stop taking photos, not of him but of people that were getting arrested for doing drugs in the tents. The guy asked if I can please delete them from my camera because he wouldn't want "bad press". Sorry guy, if you didn't want that, you should've asked people to NOT DO ILLEGAL things in or around their tents. 

Here is the photo.

http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa333/99_Percent/OccupyLA-10.jpg

bonnie's picture

drug use

Submitted by bonnie on

there are a lot of concerns about drug use on site. in this case it would appear from the photo and your following comment that this was an isolated issue that was reported to the authorities and dealt with. i'm not sure why someone would ask you to stop taking pictures though and  i'm glad you ignored them. it's a beautiful photo and i think the whole process deserves to be documented, even the unsavory parts.

fyi there have been at length discussions of drug/alcohol use on the email list and as i understand it there is an attempt to create a code of conduct that the GA could adopt, similar to ows's, that amongst other things would address alcohol/drug use on site.

I think it's shitty to call

Submitted by nobody on

I think it's shitty to call the cops - the real solution is to talk to the people involved and get them to stop using drugs and alcohol on-site.

This isn't a party - it's a political statement and action.  The rule decided by the GA was no drugs, no alcohol.  Cigarettes are OK (but come on - you all smoke too much).  Every single political action/event I've been to have followed these rules, for the past 20 some years. 

It's not a burden - it's a responsibility that falls on the occupants.

We Must Get Our Own House in Order

Submitted by tovangar2 on

No one has to call the cops...there are cameras everywhere that can be directed to any part of the camp. The cops are not the problem in this instance, the drug users are, and the Occupiers who don't do anything about it.

New York has indeed moved most of the party people out. Numbers were needed at the begining but now the drugs are keeping people away, people who are commited to the Movement and who could make positive contributions. This is a stupid waste of needed talent. Unless folks are on a committee, regularly attend and participate in the GA's, or are of SOME use to the Movement, etc. they need to leave. One can hardly hear the speakers at the GA's anymore because of all the partying going on. Plus it's unfair to the people who donate to use their donations to support folks who are destructive to the Movement.

We need to move the partiers out and make the space available to the people we desperately do need. Good people leave every day because of the free-for-all atmosphere at OLA. Pretending that OLA isn't getting a terrible rep because of some of the South Lawn folks is destructive to the Movement and entirely unresponsible. Moving out the druggies might have some impact on the thievery and sexual-harrassment issues at OLA too, both significant problems. South lawn could be set aside for single women and families.

We don't have to call the cops, we can do this ourselves. We must.

cryptomnesiac's picture

Agreed.

Submitted by cryptomnesiac on

Agreed.

The burning men and women need to go.

I've got nothing against drugs, but we have work to do. There's no time for this bullshit.

We need to have a fucking meeting about this, and discuss just how this works. How did NY clean house? I'm hoping the weather will do some of it for us.

Mike C.
Buffalo Beast - Twitter - Facebook

Meeting on this - tomorrow (Tuesday) 3pm

Submitted by Tony M on

This is on everyone's mind. Tonight's GA was the final straw for many people. Throughout the whole GA, the drum circle people kept intentionally trying to drown us out. Several of us attempted to reason with them nicely, but they don't want to listen. They told me I was a 'policeman' - which is ridiculous considering I'm Australian (!) - who was working for the 'corporation' - the GA. Make any sense to you? Me neither. They are completely illogical.

So after the GA, some of us decided on meeting at 3pm on the north steps tomorrow (Tuesday) to work out a plan to deal with these people - who contribute next to nothing and don't attend committess or even respect the GA - from derailing our movement. If we don't find a way to police ourselves, the authorities will end up doing it - and potentially discredit all of us in the process.

I have to work tomorrow so I can't make it, but I encourage as many of you who care to go along. Look forward to hearing what you come up with.

I can't make it to this

Submitted by ctizzie on

I can't make it to this 'meeting,' either - due to work - but I wholly support addressing the issue of drug use and 'partying'. This is not Burning Man!

For the record, I have no problem with Burning Man - or hippies in general. There is a time and a place for bongo playing - even within this movement. However, not participating in the fundamental reason (the cause of economic/social justice) we have been afforded this opportunity to gather and share our experiences is shameful. If the 'bongo players' and drug-users feel disenfranchised from the current system, they could at least make an effort to be a part of ours. We WELCOME and NEED their participation and ACTION (as we do EVERYONE'S!)

99Percent's picture

Thanks for the info.

Submitted by 99Percent on

I'll be there for sure.

I'm glad someone finally decided to do this. I drove from about an hour East of L.A. and was disgusted by what I heard while trying to conduct quick interviews with people there. out of about 10 people I talked to, only one filled me in on the what they were there for. The others reaked of alcohol and or marijuana.

The following day, I saw an idiot purposely running back and forth blocking the projector while someone was trying to show a film about Vietnam. Thats when I realized what most of the people were there for... A free for all party and free campground. To me, it was almost a joke. I walked through the tents and even had to skip some potential interviewees because they were simply too drunk or high to even look at me straight. It made me sick. 

Why would people let someone like this continue to walk around mumbling jibberish into a cone? 

http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa333/99_Percent/Weirdo.jpg

Clean it up OLA!

Juan is something of a local

Submitted by ctizzie on

Juan is something of a local celebrity in my home of Venice. Don't let his ragged appearance and sometimes rambling speech throw you - he is an intelligent guy with some valid points to make. He just doesn't subscribe to social norms. Furthermore, it's not really anyone's right to prevent him from speaking.

Clearly, however, he has some issues with how things are operating and does not seem to fully accept the practical reasons we have our own system to facilitate dialogue between all of us - as individuals - within the General Assembly framework. I'm not really comfortable marginalizing him more than he clearly already is - but yes - we will continue to have issues with people like Juan until we fix the system as it now stands.

We fight for Juan, not against him. I just wish he knew (or was always capable of the cognition to know) that! 

My suggestion is: if you see any first-timers who seem to be discouraged by the presence of our brothers and sisters who aren't aware of the perception of others, approach them yourself and make sure to point out all of the work the true-believers are doing on behalf of the 99%.

occupypuppetry's picture

Drug Origins?

Submitted by occupypuppetry on

I've been hearing many reports that drugs have been being handed out for free in certain locations. This seems highly suspicious. Your average drug dealer does not deal on philanthropic grounds. I'd be very interested to find out who brought these drugs into our community.

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