Occupy DC protesters in McPherson Square say one of their own apparently pilfered thousands of dollars in donations from the group’s bank account in an incident that shed light on just how much cash the anti-capitalism group has been given to continue a protest now in its third month. Occupy DC has raised at least $20,000 since it arrived in the District in early October, according to the group. Protesters say major labor unions like the AFL-CIO and the Service Employees International Union are among the donors to the movement, but spokesmen for both unions denied giving any cash to Occupy.
Occupy’s finance committee, which oversees the account, was quickly overwhelmed with requests for money from various protesters, Occupiers say. There are 23 committees at Occupy — all of whom request funds for their activities — and Occupy spends money on everything from sleeping bags to kitchen supplies to bail for jailed demonstrators.
Last week, a man known to the protesters only as “JT” withdrew at least $5,500 from the account and disappeared.
Occupiers said JT, a finance committee member, has taken as much as $9,800 from the group. JT, who didn’t respond to an interview request, wrote on Twitter that the money he took was “well-spent around camp.”
Occupiers say they’re considering the incident a theft and are weighing legal action. They haven’t yet reported the incident to the police.
Some in the McPherson Square camp say the problems with Occupy’s finances go beyond the purported theft. Credit cards linked to the group’s bank account required only two signatures for purchases, a sign, some protesters say, that the committee put too much responsibility into too few hands.
The finance committee, protesters say, doesn’t let other Occupiers view bank statements and keeps most of its financial decisions under wraps. Until very recently, the group’s General Assembly was entrusted with making all finance decisions, which meant that anyone could show up at a meeting and convince the group to spend money on a particular venture, protesters said. In a communal tent city in which virtually everything is shared, protesters said they tried to establish stricter financial controls, including making it harder for individual protesters to request money from the group fund, but they have so far failed to impose greater discipline.
For a movement that eschews capitalism and claims to be fighting corporate greed, Occupiers say they feel exploited by a protester who took advantage of a system that was still being set up.
“I’d prefer to get rid of money, and just accept donations of goods and services,” said a protester named Justin, who wouldn’t give his last name.
