Brokers and Police for the Occupation Favorite 

Practitioner: 

Date: 

Oct 23 2011

Location: 

New York City

Two members of the Yes Lab brought a dozen thrift-store suits to Zuccotti Park and asked for volunteers. Then, within earshot of the police, the group made a human microphone announcement about a "highly risky, very arrestable" action. Then, together with a brand-new police escort, the group headed towards the Wall Street Bull chanting "Castrate the bull!" and other angry slogans. More police joined.

Finally, the "brokers" reversed the empty pizza boxes they were holding and held them up to reveal their message for the two dozen photographers present: "POLICE AND BROKERS FOR THE OCCUPATION." At least a few of the photos were shared on Facebook thousands of times, and one appeared in a Long Island tabloid, without any comment, to illustrate an article about police overtime. (Click for high-resolution.)

External sources: 

https://yeslab.org/brokersandpolice
Posted by crux on Oct 24 2019

Staff rating: 

5
This project was really about contributing to the fun and bravado, and fun bravado, of Occupy Wall Street. While it did nothing in and of itself, it may have helped OWS, which changed the US national discourse.

Effectiveness

How does this project help?

Activates (people)Energizes and organizes people into action. Can include emotion work
Amplifies (issue or campaign)Brings public and political attention to an issue or campaign.  Can include prefigurative action, making the invisible visible.
Shifts (culture)Shifts the cultural landscape in order to imagine and enable change.
Strengthens (community)Strengthens, builds and celebrates community through ritual and/or symbol.

Timeframe For change

This project seems to be part of a campaign with a clear long-term goal. Long-term goals tend to be things like: end racism; end homophobia; make the sun stand still in the sky. A campaign with a long-term goal also needs to have some kind of theory of change.
To bring an end to neoliberal power and wealth disparity through supporting the occupation and satirizing the role of brokers and police within it.

Notes

The ratio of effort to payoff was high, although it did not garner much press.