Fruits of Their Labor: Is New Haven a Model for Occupy Unity?

Fruits of Their Labor: Is New Haven a Model for Occupy Unity?

John Stoehr: Is New Haven a Model for Occupy Unity?

By the time the Occupy movement came to New Haven in October, New York City police had already made headlines when a video of a high-ranking cop pepper-spraying female protesters went viral. This was on the mind of Officer David Hartman, the press spokesman for the New Haven Police Department. Every time a redneck cop cracks some skulls, he said, cops everywhere become the bad guys. So when more than a thousand people gathered on the city?s historic Green to launch Occupy New Haven, Hartman was bracing himself for the worst.

?But it never happened,? he said.

He recalls a moment when he saw ?a little old lady with white hair? chanting with the crowd. In response to the call of ?We are the 99 percent,? the woman turned to face him. She screamed: ?And so are the cops!? Hartman, who agreed with her, could only smile.

?The smiles continued that day, and I thought to myself, ?This is going to be an easy gig.??

The physical occupation in New Haven has flourished as its counterparts nationwide have been stymied or crushed. More than seventy tents now house about 200 protesters (not all full-time). Democratic Mayor John DeStefano has applauded their ideals. The city provided garbage cans and a dumpster, and businesses give food and water. The owners of the Green, a private trust going all the way back to Puritan times, have said nothing about the political settlement. Their tacit approval has given police great latitude to make decisions.

From the start, Occupy New Haven?s approach to police has been collaborative rather than confrontational. During that first march more than one protester held up a sign that read: ?Thank You New Haven Police!? The decision was made early to work with police so the protest wouldn?t end with a bang?or a whimper. Now organizers call downtown?s top cops every week, even when there?s nothing to report. Police in turn have allowed protesters to police themselves (to a degree), even advising them on how to deal with the homeless people that inevitably appear.

Only two arrests have occurred: a man known for his theatrical nationalism entered the encampment dressed head-to-toe in red, white, and blue while screaming in outrage over the flying of an upside-down American flag. He and the occupier in charge of security were arrested on a breach of peace charge. The occupier?s attorney, Irving Pinky, said that such a charge is fairly easy to have dismissed. ?You can breach much peace at rush-hour,? he said. Yet the relationship between occupiers and police has been so congenial over the weeks that when I asked Hartman about that arrest, he appeared defensive.

?That had nothing to do with Occupy New Haven,? he said.

New Haven?s occupiers have good relations not only with law enforcement and civic authorities, but with organized labor as well.

On December 6, over 1,000 residents took the streets demanding jobs and safer neighborhoods in a city that has seen thirty-two homicides this year. With ?Occupy New Haven? the freshest brand, the event was held under the Occupy banner, but it was bankrolled by three unions, including the locals that represent workers at Yale University. Labor leaders paid for a stage at the rally at City Hall, fliers, and 35,000 robo-calls made to inform residents of the event.

The event attracted youth groups, religious organizations, graduate students, and union members. Even the new chief of police, Dean Esserman, was on hand. He interrupted a reporter?s questions to say he loves the song ?A Change Is Gonna Come? by Sam Cooke. The event was Occupy New Haven?s biggest since its initial march. (It was also the first display of union muscle since they led a victorious campaign?an insurrection, you might say?to take a majority of seats on the city?s Board of Aldermen earlier this year, running primary challengers against Mayor DeStefano?s supporters. Once a champion of unions, DeStefano lost their support in trying to balance his budget.)

The Reverend Scott Marks was a chief organizer of the 1,000-person march. ?It has always been a dream of mine to see young people leading a movement for social justice in this era,? he said. ?They are coming together and demanding jobs for themselves and their community.?

The event also illustrated a clear affinity between the working class and intellectuals, something that?s usually a left-wing fantasy. Joe Klett, a graduate student in sociology at Yale, said, ?The whole reason I am here is because of California?s public education system. I went to San Diego City College when it was $10 a credit.?

What?s gone on in New Haven has offered an answer to that thorny question: What is the point of the Occupy movement? By simply enduring, being present day in and day out, Occupy New Haven has become a political brand that locals trust. The occupiers there have nothing to gain but living up to their ideals. Occupy New Haven has helped give shape to a new coalition. Here, the fight isn?t between Democrats and Republicans, government and business, unions and non-unions, protesters and cops. The real fight, as we are seeing in New Haven, is between those who work and those who control the means of production.

Additional reporting provided by Win Vitkowsky.


Socialist thought provides us with an imaginative and moral horizon.

For insights and analysis from the longest-running democratic socialist magazine in the United States, sign up for our newsletter: