A Movement to Occupy

Past generations have had moments when its youth took action to effect some form a change within the government and/or society as a whole, but is this our time? With our economy failing, unemployment at its highest, and college graduates not being able to find work, a movement similar to those springing up in the Middle East has been implemented here in New York: It is has been dubbed Occupy Wall Street.

The main website for Occupy Wall Street provides this as an explanation, "Occupy Wall Street is a horizontally organized resistance movement employing the revolutionary Arab Spring tactic to restore democracy in America. We use a tool known as a "people's assembly" to facilitate collective decision making in an open, participatory and non-binding manner."

Since mid September, over a thousand protesters have been literally occupying Wall Street and other locations in the area, as a form of protest against the misspending and mismanagement of America's budget. These groups are made up of people from all walks of life. The protesters have come under a lot of criticism from Mayor Bloomberg, saying, “If the jobs they are trying to get rid of in this city--the people that work in finance, which is a big part of our economy--go away, we’re not going to have any money to pay our municipal employees or clean the parks or anything else.”

Another criticism is that the protesters are lacking a common message, which makes them appear weak and disorganized to the public and the establishment they are trying to fight. Too many separate organizations are making different demands, so it is the goal of the many protesters to come up with one collective agenda to give this young-progressive movement some credibility.

Man makes sign in Liberty Plaza

Reminiscent of Woodstock in 1969 and many anti-war rallies of that time, the sense of community and fellowship is palpable down in Liberty Plaza. Protesters in the square have set up a small community. There are daily itineraries, with scheduled information sessions, tech centers that provide live streaming coverage of the protest, a thrift stand so protesters can keep warm without having to leave the square due to weather, a public notary, and a makeshift kitchen that provides free meals. Despite claims of a lack of cleanliness amongst the protesters, people have seen sweeping and garbage collection taking place in the square.

There is no one leader to represent this collective of artists, activists and soapbox orators. Revolution is in the air and the hope of these young men and woman is that the movement continues to spread around the country and the world, so that the government and financial sector can see that they aren’t going away without a fight. Many people on Wall Street just see this as a waste of tax dollars, and look forward to the end of the protests, which they feel, will yield no results.

The Occupy movement has spread to 190 different locations around the country and around the world. Clashes with police and law officials have only made protesters more dedicated.

Occupy has begun to receive support from workers unions and labor organizations. The Transit Workers Local 100’s union is giving its full support to the Occupy movement. SEIU 32BJ, the NYC based union, which represents security workers, and doormen is also lending their support to the peaceful protest taking place in Liberty Plaza and across New York. It’s been a little over a month and the Occupy movement has only gained strength and numbers, with people now planning to organize in countries like Australia and Canada. Time will tell if the message and efforts of the minority will spread to the majority and actually bring some major change in these grim economic times here in America.