Occupy Revised

Occupy Wall Street

By Jolie Peters

(All italicized quotes are from signs help by protestors)

Zuchotti Park in many ways has become a sanctum to the people who have been inhabiting it for the past month. There are zen meditation circles, singing, camp sites, and it wouldn’t be New York without the variety of Halal trucks surrounding the park. As Roberto Anderson, a Twenty-Three year old college graduate from upstate New York approached one of these Halal trucks to charge his cell phone he said, “The only thing I can possibly feel is hope. A month is nothing, just wait till we reach six.” 

One month has indeed passed since people have been participating in the Occupy Wall Street Movements. These protests are the result of resentment that some Americans have been feeling towards large corporations, banks, and the government for a period of time that largely exceeds a month. The occupation has included a variety of marches and protests, that have not only occurred in New York City, but around the world. Despite the mass arrests and legal interventions, the occupation has made incredible headway since it began in September. The movement has not only spread to over a thousand cities, but it has gotten the attention of many politically important people as well. 

How the Protest’s Began

“Lost my job, Found my occupation.”

Adbusters, a non-for-profit, non-consumerist organization , as well as the New York General Assembly (NYGA), a compliation of groups set out to organize the occupation, put out a call to occupy Wall Street. The call was asking people to protest the growing wage disparities between the 99 and 1%, as well as the events that occurred leading up to and after the recession in 2008. 

Adbusters and NYGA made many plans and provisions leading up to September 17th, the day the groups chose as the start of the protests. When September 17th came, thousands of protesters began their march through the Financial District. After the police began blocking the march, protestors moved to the privately owned Zuccotti Park where they have stayed ever since. 

People have come from all over the world to participate in New York and elsewhere. “Its time we get information out to people. We’re here protesting a global system that holds money more important than human life. People are saying the 99% don’t have a common goal? How is the whole 99% supposed to agree on a common problem when we’re each affected by the system in a different way?” Said Jordan McCarthy, from New Hampshire. She sat with her friends and Beagle puppy Tucker on the steps of Zuchotti Park as she carefully explained her reasons for traveling to New York in order to protest. 

The media has given a generalized face to the protestors, depiciting them as young politically active people. While there are a fare share of young activists on Wall Street, there is a larger spectrum of people that make up the protestors. Take for example Eddie Davis, a World War Two veteran. Davis sat silently on a wooden bench, wearing his World War Two veteran hat and holding his hand-made sign while observing his fellow protestors during the union march. Davis said, “I’m here because there needs to be a broad peoples movement. All of us affected by the same issue need to call for a meeting of interested parties. In the 1930’s there were unemployment councils organized throughout the country. The outcome of this was Social Security and Unemployment Insurance. We all need to ban together to see a change.”

There are a variety of events that have consequently sparked the feelings that brought people like Davis, and McCarthy down to the occupation. 

The Creation of the 99%

“None are more Hopelessly Enslaved than those who believe they are free.”

Deregulation has been occurring in America since the early nineties. The federal reserve and the banking industry pushed for deregulation, and in 1999 congress passed bills legalizing it. After the bills were passed, bankers were able to give out large quantities of risky loans. This in turn lead America into a severe recession in 2008. When people who were issued these loans were unable to pay them back, foreclosures began to skyrocket and banks were left not only with unpaid loans, but real estate they were unable to sell. When the banks began to collapse the American Government passed bail out packages to save them. When the smoke finally cleared from the financial crisis, many CEO’s walked away with billions they had made prior to the recession, as well as bonus’s they received during the recession and afterwards. 

“There is an incredible anger and disillusionment with watching those executives in the upper 1% that contributed to the financial crisis walk away with bonuses when unemployment and poverty are at levels not seen in decades,” said Mary

Borrowman, an Economics expert and teacher at The New School.

On top of the feelings of disenfranchisement people felt after the recession, there is also high levels of resentment towards the income disparities that our country has been facing for decades. According to a report released by the Congress of the United State’s Congressional Budget Office, from 1979 until 2007 the average income for the top 1% has grown 275 percent. The people outside of the 1% have not seen their income grow higher than 65% since 1979. 

Police and Legal Action

“We are not fish, put your nets away”

From the start of the protests there has been extreme clashing between police and occupiers. Video’s went viral on the internet of police officers macing young women who in turn fell to the ground screaming for help. There has also been videos released of police beating, and brutally arresting protestors.  Some of these mass arrests occurred during the march on the Brooklyn bridge where seven hundred were arrested. Also, 92 were arrested during the march to Times square. 

According to the Partnership for Civil Justice, the police have been using a trap and detain tactic in which they use an orange net to surround the protestors and then they arrest those who have been obtained.

“I think the police officers just got desperate, took out their orange nets, and

blocked off the (street) block,” said Yotam Marom, a recent graduate student from The New School, and activist who has been avidly participating in the occupation since the start. He said in regards to the Union March, which occurred on October 5th, “That was a intentional move to scare these people from coming out today. Parents that have kids can’t risk being arrested, people that have to go to work the next day can’t risk being arrested. I can risk being arrested.”

While some people may have been intimidated and scared by the police tactics,

Jill Nelson, a writer and activist who has written books on police brutality, sheds

light on the fact that the police’s actions have actually raised awareness for

Occupy Wall Street.

“Ironically, the police violence, mass arrests, and overall ineptitude have done wonders for OWS in terms of getting the message and images out to a national and international audience...This is not to say that the demonstrations would not have continued and grown without the unintentional assistance of police and mainstream media, I think they would have, but the police violence and media coverage of it didn't hurt.,” Nelson Said.

While some are incredibly outraged by the police’s actions thus far, the police

stand by their job and tactics used. During a press release conference Raymond Kelley, the police commissioner said, regarding the size of police contingent, “We think it is

appropriate for the issue. We facilitate peaceful protests that’s what we do. We

do it every day.”

Because of these mass arrests, a large class action lawsuit has been filed by the Partnership for Civil Justice fund. 

Political Response to Protests

“Obama is NOT a brown-skinned anti-war socialist who gives away free

healthcare...you’re thinking of Jesus.”

The protests have not only gotten the attention of the media, but political

officials have also turned their attention towards the protests. Nancy Pelosi, a house minority leader said during an interview on ABC’s This Week “God bless them for their spontaneity. It’s independent... it’s young, it’s spontaneous, and it’s focused. And it’s going to be effective.”

The Republican presidential candidate Gary Johnson also sympathizes

 with the those protesting. “Everybody is outraged over the inequity and I hope it gets focused on the fact that government perhaps is at the root of all of this, politicians are at the root of this,” said Johnson during an interview with CNN.

Although some political candidates agree with the protesting and hope for change, many have problems with it. Mayor Michael Bloomberg doesn’t just disagree with the what the protestors have to say, but he believes the protestors are going to ruin jobs in New York. "If you focus for example on driving the banks out of New York City, you know those are our jobs. What they’re trying to do is take away the jobs of people working in the city, take away the tax base that we have,” the mayor said.

As the protest grows in size, more and more political people are commenting on

the events taking place.

Growing in Size

“I won’t believe corporations are people until Texas executes one.”

October 15th, right before the month anniversary of the protest’s start, global action day was enacted. This called for people all over the country, and the

world, to march for the cause. Prior to global action day the number of protestors

had increased in New York, as well as spread to other cities. Many of the goals are the same as those in New York, other differ.

“I hope that this will help the government to see that the people are tired of

electing officials just to have them pander to Wall Street,” Said Chrystal Zimmerman who is occupying in Amarillo, Texas. “As far as our local movement we are still discussing what our local goals are. Obviously, we support the movement in New York and everywhere else, but we haven't really chiseled out our individual group's goals yet.”

The growth of the occupation does not seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

______________________________________________________________________

The drum are still beating down at Zuchotti Park. There are still people there eating hummus on bread thanks to the food service table. There are still people burning sage, and doing Yoga. There are even still people using Halal trucks to charge their cell phones. At this juncture, it is hard to tell how much longer this movement will last. As the cold days are quickly approaching one can’t help but think, will the occupiers survive the winters jarring temperatures? For the time being, life goes on in Zuchotti park. Well, at least while there are still places to charge a cell phone.