Occupy Wall Street Movement

Let’s take a look back at the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement. It started with approximately 2,000 people assembling in lower Manhattan and claiming Zuccotti Park on September 17, 2011. The group was made up of average people that knew what a peaceful gathering was. Although the New York (NY) group still remains civil, authorities are saying that the large groups gathering around the country have changed their temperament.

The October 31, 2011 Time magazine article by Joe Klein said the OWS protests reflect a general belief – ranging across the political spectrum from Tea Party to anarchists and a great many average folks in between – that the big banks have raped and pillaged the American economy. The OWS movement includes a generous measure of weirdos, ideologues, and free-range troublemakers. A recent unscientific NY magazine poll of 100 demonstrators found 34% believed the US government is no better than Al-Qaeda. Mr. Klein said he wouldn’t be at all surprised if the OWS protesters managed, before long, to destroy the credibility of a worthy political complaint in a spasm of puerile extremism (what did he say – how about this – ruin a worthy cause with a quiver of immature, small and narrow mindedness). I think he was trying to say that the OWS protests are including too many people with their own agenda which could ruin the movement.

On November 17, nearly 100 San Francisco protesters are arrested for storming a downtown bank; protesters were jumping on tables, pitched a tent and their behavior caused employees to vacate the Bank of America. On November 18, ABC News reported massive protester arrests from all over the US. In Los Angles (LA) at least 72 arrested. NY protesters closed both lanes of traffic at the Brooklyn Bridge and failed to gain access to the Stock Exchange, more than 300 were arrested and 10 protesters along with several police are nursing minor injuries. When the ABC reporter asked what the concrete reason was for the protest, half of them didn’t know why they were there (making up their own reasons – freedom of speech, claim the park, lower gas prices, end war, eradicate males, empathy). One man did say to stop the corporate takeover of our government and I’m okay with that. But generally, the responses prove Joe Klein’s point. Although they were expressing freedom of speech, it was not what the movement was about. Although the ultimate goal is for corporations to show more empathy toward their employees (I don’t mean CEOs, board members or stockholders) with better benefits and pay, it too is not the purpose of the movement. The protesters should all know that the protest is about, as Mr. Klein has indicated, the robbing, embezzling, misappropriating, and scamming of the American economy. My point of difference with Mr. Klein is that I don’t think it’s just the big banks that are doing this. I do have an issue with banks expecting the taxpayers to pull them out of a jam when things go wrong and when things are going good they reward their own (CEOs, board members or stockholders) and do not reward the taxpayers with fee reductions, increased interest on savings or money market accounts or decreased interest on loans. But I take this protest further. There needs to be increased taxes on the wealthy and equality with tax credits and deductions in order to close the gap between the 1% and 99%. Although the OWS movement is about how our government gives to the rich, I’m also angry with giving taxpayer dollars to those that don’t want to work and get Welfare or have committed horrendous crimes and live better than our hard working Americans.

On November 20, police arrested 11 protesters occupying a DC building. And, when the protesters at the University of California at Davis defied the order to remove their tents from the campus, they were casually pepper-sprayed in their faces at close range by campus police while they were just sitting civilly on the ground with their arms linked. It is my understanding that tear gas is used to disburse a group while pepper-spray is to be used to incapacitate. University police said they were looking to leave but protesters surrounded them; I did not see this problem on the video so I feel the pepper-spray was uncalled for; the University has put the Police Chief and 2 of the officers on administrative while they investigate the incident. 

On November 21, it was reported that a Un-occupy Wall Street movement showed up in Portland, Oregon claiming to be the 98.9% of the people that are fed up with the crowds, noise and disruption to traffic and businesses. And, an OWS leader is getting criticized for staying in a $700 a night hotel in NY. This irritation with the movement and lack of support was realized when millions of people went shopping on Black Friday. Per Shoppertrack sales hit $11.4 billion the most ever spent on a Black Friday, up 7% from last year. On November 26, the LA major gave the OWS protesters until today (11/28/11) to leave their City Hall camp. 

As of October 31, there were 84,448 followers @OccupyWallSt on Twitter. Since more people are using the events for their own agendas, some don’t understand what constitutes a peaceful assembly and authorities are frustrated or power hungry, I think the movement should use the internet to expand its message (like the woman who stopped the debit card fees). Unless something really different occurs, there will be no more updates to the OWS movement. Let’s hope that people don’t forget what the movement stands for when it comes to the election.