Anyway, 99% Spring was always intended to be complementary to Occupy, not to do the same thing. The goal was to train 100,000 people to become various kinds of protesters.
This number turned out to be optimistic. Liz Butler, the national effort's co-coordinator, based in DC, says at least 45,000 were trained. That's still impressive, and on-line trainings will add to this number. Butler says 1000 actions are planned — Tax Day events, protests at corporate shareholder meetings, hitching up with Occupy at May Day protests, and other actions.
The fall's Occupy movement was a singular "burst of expression," Palma Ryan says. The expression isn't over with: 99% Spring events are lighting up the progressive mainstream with new energy and numbers and more aggressive tactics. To rephrase a blog post I once read, Occupy has co-opted the mainstream left.
Lance Tapley can be reached at lance.tapley@gmail.com.
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