Who are the Occupy Wall Street protesters and what do they hope to achieve? If you don’t know, you aren’t alone– even news anchors have a hard time answering basic questions about this growing political movement.
Occupy Wall Street protesters have been variously portrayed as “un-American” malcontents, a liberal answer to the Tea Party, or simply aimless young people looking for a good time. AdBusters, the online magazine credited with inspiring the original protests on September 17th, has lofty but vague goals for the movement:
#OCCUPYWALLSTREET is thundering across America, threatening to morph into a full fledged national movement. Channeling the nonviolence of the Egyptian Tahrir Square uprising and the bottom-up collective decision making of the Spanish acampadas, we vow to end the monied corruption of our democracy.
Today I decided to visit the epicenter of the movement, Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan, to see for myself what these demonstrations are about.
What I found was a diverse group of Americans– in terms of age, ethnicity and lifestyle– who came together to vent their frustrations in a peaceful way. There were idealistic young people and older men with grizzled beards that fit the definition of “hippies,” but there were also families, musicians, artists and just about anyone else you could imagine.
I was fascinated by the protest signs, which ranged from clever jokes to deeply personal stories. They promoted environmentalism, tax reform and “free hugs,” reflecting the diversity of the protesters.
>> Scroll down for photos of the men and women occupying Zuccotti Park and their eye-catching signs.
What do you think of the Occupy Wall Street protests?
Share your opinion with other readers by leaving a comment below.
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I think it is great. People are fed up and starting to do something. I studied a lot of French, and my French teachers always talked about how French people often times will passionately strike when they feel their rights are impinged on. Our country, on the other hand, is often times really apathetic. It is nice to see people taking action whether the cause is right or not.
Ted, you raise a good point– when I studied abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina, there were strikes and protests in the streets every day. The faculty and the students of the public university even went on separate strikes! Compared to Europe and many other regions, the US seems the most protest-adverse.
Thanks for posting about this! I’m really impressed with what’s happening at all the Occupy Wall Street protests. Times are changing!
It’s interesting to see how the media coverage of OWS has picked up since the weekend. It’s hard to dismiss as just a bunch of hippies now that the movement is gaining momentum.
Amazing photos, you really captured the environment. The signs were so interesting to read (and many were so well done, too!). Thanks for posting this piece of history here.
Thanks for the comment! Definitely check out the protest if you are downtown. It’s worth seeing in person since the news reports are so conflicting.
Wow it’s amazing to see something like this happening in NYC, I would totally join the protest if I were there.
Some pretty touching signs, thanks for sharing these photos!
It really was amazing to see the energy in Zuccotti Park. Based on the news reports, you’d expect all kinds of debauchery there but it was simply normal Americans protesting for a cause they believe in.
Great collection of photographs Leslie. These protests don’t get much international coverage. But it’s something that many peoples the world over believe in. As they too wonder about what’s happened to the world.
The movement is spreading across the US– it’s really caught on in the last week or two. We’ll see what happens!
We went to see Occupy Wall Street twice, and it was emotionally moving because it’s about people getting involved in social justice. Lots of different causes, but mostly valuable ones. Sort of a 60’s air about it, but these people were a lot cleaner and didn’t seem to be smoking pot!
I didn’t smell any pot either but wouldn’t be too surprised if someone lit up on occasion… if only to deal with those sleeping conditions in the park 😉
Great job. I feel like I just walked through there.
Hippie wannabes get a XBOX
Interesting– Xbox as a cure for social ills. That could be their new marketing campaign 😉
Interesting post Leslie. Having the opportunity to visit the epicenter(the same day you did :)was an awesome experience. It was wonderful to see so many people exercising the fundamental rights of our country in a peaceful gathering.
great pictures something the main stream media wont show.
they will continue to pass this off as dumb uneducated or informed people.
The Occupy wall-street movement is just a bunch of lazy bums who dropped out of high school and college. They are not the 99%.
Have you visited Zuccotti Park? There weren’t many “lazy bums” there when I went. Just people who believe strongly in a cause and actually took action– the opposite of lazy.
im not lazy . but can i come over and take a shower at your place ? please leslie
I LOVE the photos. Makes me want to be in NYC.
The Reagan sign is so unnecessary. That really shows the ignorance of that person. Protest can be a very good method but denegration produces only misguided anger.
These people are for real. their complains are my own. I will be joining them soon. I am prepping for a long stay DOWNTOWN LOL