ABSTRACT
In this chapter, I trace the collaborative relief work of Occupy Sandy activists and Rockaway residents. I start by situating Occupy Sandy in the wider Occupy movement. As a response to perceived failures by governmental and non-profit agencies to reach already marginalized communities in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, activists employed the logistic, communicative, and mobilization skills acquired during the Occupy Wall Street period to set in motion relief operations across New York City’s marginalized areas, including Rockaway. I then describe three guiding principles that steered the relief work of Occupy Sandy – inclusion, autonomy, and horizontality – and show how the practical manifestations of these principles resulted in the empowerment of Rockaway inhabitants. Residents were included to partake in the relief work, and so became active partners rather than passively receiving help, which made them feel stronger and better about themselves. Furthermore, as local leaders were encouraged and supported, residents were able to autonomously steer the work according to the needs they had themselves identified. In this way, ongoing local relief activities were amplified and strengthened, which contributed to a more successful relief operation at large.
