A Politics of Collective Action - life in gezi park

Detentions and governmental violence are continuing in other parts of Istanbul and cities in Turkey. The occupation of Gezi Park and Taksim square does continue with thousand of people in different time period in the day time. Instead of celebration, the public considers how to transform the occupation into a creative and sustainable space and non-violence manner. Firstly, free food, drinks, and any kind of needs are organized by initiations. Furthermore, a vegetable and flower gardening has been took one part of the Gezi Park. Also, tents are expanded. A an activist video collective did set up Videoccupy. All initiations are collective, organic, non-heterogeneous (as it resembles our past activities in Sulukule Platform). Except to buy needs for the park I don't use money anymore, I get food and my other needs there. Money is not valid. All realities reminds J.K.Gibson - Graham's ideas on the ways of commoning, community economy, vertical dimensions of collective organization and "a politics of collective action". Maybe we should remain and repeat their questions: "What are our needs and how can they be met? What is surplus to our needs and how should it be generated, pooled, distributed, and deployed? What resources are to be consumed and how should this consumption be distributed? What is our commons and how should it be renewed, sustained, enlarged, drawn down, and/or extended to others?"

Here my friend/up-floor neighbor Tayfun Kahraman (Head of Istanbul Chamber of Urban Planning) representing the demands of the initiations in public: Gezi Park Resistance Demands

We also moved our discussions and meetings into park from institutions: Voluntary Labor on Sunday.

Still governmental violence and chemical war continue in other cities such as in Ankara, Rize....

AKM