A Forced 'Occupation'

Last Saturday, Occupation, the documentary about the Progressive Student Labor Movement’s (PSLM) infamous 21-day sit-in in Mass. Hall, premiered at the Harvard Film Archive. Throngs of people lined up to see how directors Pacho Velez ’02 and Maple Razsa chose to capture one of the most momentous events in recent Harvard history. Overwhelmed with viewers, the Archive auditorium soon proved to be too small to contain the large turnout, so video versions of the film had to be played simultaneously in two other locations. Velez and Razsa addressed the audience before the show, reiterating their belief in PSLM’s attempt to create a discussion forum for workers who might not otherwise have felt strongly enough to speak out about the daily struggle of their lives. “The story we’re trying to tell is the way in which a student action of this sort can serve as a catalyst for the community,” said Rasza. The pair plan to take the documentary around the country, showing it to university students, unions and whomever else wants “to think about civil disobedience as a viable alternative.”

Although the film chronicles the actual sit-in with great detail, it is interspersed with testimony from workers, statistics about wages and stodgy images of Harvard from the past. It follows the PSLM protesters as they rush into Mass. Hall and are confronted by grim, heartless officials. The omnipresent camera tracks down then-Provost Harvey V. Fineberg ’67 and captures him brusquely dismissing the protestors: “I have office hours every two weeks.” It sympathetically watches Frank, a custodian, perform his work as he tells the audience, “I call this place the reservation. We’re allowed to think we’re mad, but we’re not allowed to say it.” On the other hand, the Harvard Corporation is presented as a villainous, face-less governing board that allows the teeming masses to live in sweatshop-like conditions as the corporation successfully conquer the global market. Elaine Bernard of the Harvard Trade Union Program comments that “human values and values of democracy and equity should supercede markets.” But, clearly, her values are far removed from those who have a say in the affairs of the university. The film reports that then-President Neil L. Rudenstine threatened to resign before giving in to the demands of the protesters, and then it goes on to argue that PSLM’s demands would be but a dent in Harvard’s massive endowment. Occupation presents the protesters as engaging in an ideological battle against a reactionary and frustratingly immobile monolith. Previous attempts at negotiating with administrators, the film shows, were met by the apathetic drone of bureaucratic jargon.

The storming of Mass. Hall, therefore, was a final attempt to break through this wall of indifference and create a humane and equitable working environment for Harvard workers. And of course, this is all documented on camera. We see the tired and weary yet determined PSLM-ers strategizing in their new, not so luxurious living environment. We look on as singing children, pizza-bearing janitors and marching demonstrators flag the waning spirits of the captive heroes. And we breathe a sigh of relief as our bedraggled band of crusaders victoriously exit the building. Their mission is far from finished, but they have at least made a step in the right direction. Occupation is very well made and incredibly persuasive. The appropriate music and eloquent narrating skills on the part of Ben Affleck could turn the most desiccated member of the Harvard Corporation into a soft-hearted liberal. Although some might argue that the movie is more like a PSLM plug than a true documentary, it is still a powerful and fascinating piece of filmmaking.