One of the ongoing issues in reporting on and negotiating with the Occupy movement is that standard rules of play don’t apply. By definition, there is no governing body, no leader (beyond rotating facilitators), and no official charter. In a climate that runs on outrage and black-and-white politics, the anti-structure and grayscale that define Occupy Wall Street – and Occupy Charlotte – seem to be difficult for much of the 99% to understand.

The nebulous nature of the movement may be its biggest strength, however: it’s much more difficult to defeat an idea than a group of individuals. But it also complicates the group’s ability to denounce the actions of rogue members who do something like, say, burning an American flag (as occurred at the Occupy Charlotte site last week). Today, the Occupy movement is beginning to see a small rift: nine former Occupy Charlotte members are splintering to found a new movement, People’s Coalition of the Carolinas.

The People’s Coalition and Occupy Charlotte could prove to be a complementary pair – People’s Coalition will take a web-only approach, while Occupy Charlotte will continue to inhabit their Trade Street site.

For more information on Occupy Charlotte, check out Rhiannon Fionn’s excellent coverage of the movement at the CLog.