Occupiers call it the “Mockupy” — a union-backed protest camp set up on the National Mall this week with rhetoric and a look very similar to the Occupy movement. And though the Take Back the Capitol protest leaves town Friday, its very presence heightened tensions between Occupy DC and the labor unions that claim to support them.
The unions say they merely share the same goals as Occupy DC and aren’t trying to co-opt the movement. But many of the occupiers camped at Freedom Plaza and McPherson Square for two months believe the unions are trying to claim credit for Occupy’s movement and momentum.
Those tensions were readily apparent at Wednesday’s mass protest on K Street, where occupiers and a much larger contingent from Take Back the Capitol each blocked intersections but stayed largely separate.
“I’m irritated with the lack of solidarity” Wednesday, said Christina McKenna, of Occupy DC, one of 62 protesters arrested. “We asked them to come help us keep that corner [on 14th Street] and they marched right past us.”
Take Back the Capitol — backed by the Service Employees International Union and several other advocacy groups — set up camp on the National Mall this week in much grander fashion than the Occupy camps, including enormous white tents with heat, electricity and finished floors. A media tent provided rows of computers for protesters’ use. There was live music and a visit by the Rev. Jesse Jackson, too.
Despite the creature comforts, however, Take Back the Capitol protesters weren’t camping out. Many were staying indoors in District hostels and churches.
That’s enough to make D.C.’s occupiers balk. They’re wary of supporting Take Back the Capitol because it supports President Obama’s jobs legislation and extension of unemployment benefits and because SEIU endorsed Obama’s re-election.
SEIU says it encouraged occupiers to join the union protest, offering free bus rides from around the country. The Occupy movement, union members said, is big enough to accommodate both occupiers and the unions.
Rob Fisher, a member of Occupy Los Angeles, said he and other occupiers are wary of the unions even though they participated in the Take Back the Capitol protest.
“We were a little uncomfortable with the Occupy movement’s mask here — the signs, the chants,” he said, referring to the unions’ use of Occupy terms like “the 99 percent.” “If you’re going to adopt the mask, adopt the principles.”
Other occupiers have no qualms about the unions. Mary Thompson said she and other occupiers in Kansas City worked regularly with the unions.
“I guess some people think they’re trying to co-opt the movement, but [SEIU] didn’t tell me to do anything,” she said. “I’m really happy to be here. I would never have been able to come here on my own.”
