Tonight I rezzed into one of the "Occupy SL" planning meetings in Second Life, inspired by the real world "Occupy Oakland" tent city I walked through today over lunch. I didn't really know what to expect.
I found twenty-some avatars hanging out in the Second Life Leftist Union area (teleport link), talking in an open and inclusive way about what kind of action to plan next. No one was really in charge, although folks volunteered to take notes, do outreach, and planning as the meeting went on. Over the course of an hour or so, a rough plan of action came together that everyone was excited about (that I can't really divulge). It was kind of inspiring watching it all come together -- democracy in action, as it were.
I don't think any of them would claim that these virtual actions are in any way equal to what people are doing in the real world in tent cities all around the US and the world. But as a way of connecting different activists and actions , and doing public outreach in a new way, the "Occupy SL" group wants to use this virtual platform to amplify the movement.
Here's how the "Occupy SL" group describes themselves:
Just as in 1st Life (of which, Second Life is only an extension), so many people in Second life are enthused, empowered, and emboldened by the Occupy Wall Street protest in NYC and those spreading across the country. Many of them are deeply involved in their own local occupation groups. We have formed this group and networking space in Second Life as a place to meet, inform, network, educate others, and plan actions in Second Life. We invite all people to come and join us in solidarity as the 99% begin to be heard.
UPDATE 10/20: Apparently, there is an "Occupy SL" protest planned for this Saturday, October 22. If you would like to be involved, join their group for details on where and when.
If you would like to find out more, teleport over to their HQ at this link, join their facebook group, or follow the #OccupySL hashtag on Twitter.
