Occupy El Paso, Day 22

As some of us who are involved with Occupy El Paso face the possibility of eviction and arrest by the city in the near future, I offer these words of Martin Luther King, Jr. to help those who have, with all good will, questioned our resolve to stand with non-violent resistance in our defense of the right to protest (with my own redactions in brackets):

 We ha(ve) no alternative except to prepare for direct action, whereby we would present our very bodies as a means of laying our case before the conscience of the local and the national community.

Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community {the one percent} which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks to so dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored. My citing the creation of tension as part of the work of the nonviolent-resister may sound rather shocking. But I must confess that I am not afraid of the word "tension." I have earnestly opposed violent tension, but there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth. Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, we must we see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men {and women} rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood {and from the dark depths of greed, indifference and injustice to the majestic heights of understanding and personhood}.

The purpose of our direct-action program is to create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation.

                                                              --Martin Luther King, Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail


Latest developments:
It now appears that the city is willing to grant a new permit that will let us legally continue our downtown occupation.  This is a welcome development which will hopefully allow us to continue to expend our energy on other forms of protest while continuing the occupation.