A Nov. 12 forum on Occupy Seattle erupted into discord after protestors from Occupy Seattle argued that the forum should be run by the movement's methods rather than as a traditional panel.
As the panelists took their seats on stage, JM Wong from Occupy Seattle stood and raised her voice to the crowd, calling, "Mic check!"
Occupy Seattle members repeated her words, using what the Occupy movement has dubbed "the people's mic" a call-and-response that some find poetic.
In short bursts repeated by the audience, Wong began stating that they had hoped to conduct the evening in the manner of Occupy Seattle's General Assembly (GA), but that event organizers had decided to hold a more traditional forum, with two-minute introductions followed by questions from the moderator and participants from the floor.
Wong encouraged the audience to "decide for themselves which rules they want to follow."
It was a tall order. After the panelists introduced themselves, another member of Occupy Seattle jumped on stage to call for a straw poll to determine if the audience would rather continue the discussion according to the procedures of the GA.
Panelist and Seattle City Councilmember Nick Licata, the event's planned moderator, called for a quick show of hands, which was determined to be against such a switch. This led the audience to call for a countable vote.
The next half-hour passed in impassioned discussion of GA procedures and an amendment to the motion before a final count was taken.
It was agreed that the majority of participants wanted to continue in the traditional format.
The clash over meeting procedures exemplifies a greater tension surrounding the movement, which has been criticized for its lack of central agenda.
One Occupier said that participants in the movement are formulating specific agenda items, but since the movement is about every member being heard, this demands time and extensive discussion.
Much of the remaining allotted time was devoted to panelists addressing questions regarding how the movement compares to the Tea Party, its potential translation into the country's current election process and the panel's forecast of the movement a year into the future.
Panelists included Washington State Labor Council secretary-treasurer Lynne Dodson, taxation activist Nick Hanauer and political strategist Frank Greer. Town Hall and The Stranger organized the event.
To provide space for continued conversation, the venue remained open long after the formal discussion ended.
Groups formed to discuss a proposed occupation of the special legislative session after Thanksgiving, with one woman offering to help transport people to Olympia.
At the close of the contentious event, Occupy Seattle member Matt Hamilton spoke of the inclusive ideal of the movement, the very principle that makes articulating an all-encompassing agenda such a lengthy process.
He was undeterred.
"I'm going to stand shoulder to shoulder with my homeless brothers and sisters and we're going to make a change together," he said."Young and old, employed and unemployed; everybody's welcome in this movement."
But not everyone will have the patience for it.