'Occupy Wall Street' Moving Across America; Next Stop LA
The “Occupy Wall Street” protest, which has taken over various parts of New York City’s Financial District these last 12-days is going national.
Now based at Liberty Square in Manhattan, the leaderless protest was organized with the help of social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.
On its website, https://occupywallst.org, the protest declared: “We are the 99 percent. We are occupying Wall Street. We will not move.”
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The group claimed to represent 99 percent of Americans who are not receiving the economic benefits that is granted to only one percent of nation.
“We are getting nothing, while the other 1 percent is getting everything,” said the website.
“Occupy Wall Street” is against anti-corporation and capitalism. Its ultimate goal is to convince President Barack Obama to change the economic tide of the country and to close the gap between the rich and poor – thus ending the “trickle down” effect.
Dr. Cornel West, professor at Princeton University and democratic intellectual, spoke at the protest, holding a cardboard sign that read:
“If only the war on poverty was a real war then we’d actually be making some money.”
The protest has garnered little media attention nationally, but all of that is about to change as it spreads to other major U.S. cities.
Chicago began its own “occupy” protest on September 23 at the Sears Tower. According to the Occupy Chicago website, the protest has grown from seven people to over 60 on the first day.
“We are seeing change in the world. Block by block, city by city,” read the website.
Boston has also initiated its own “occupy” protest, which proved to be more organized and media savvy than Chicago’s – attracting more attendees.
On Monday, 200 people gathered in the city’s hub at Boston Center.
“I’m stunned and amazed and in awe of how the populous has come together to endorse, embrace and support those people at Wall Street. This occupation is in moral support of that occupation,” Matthew Krawitz of Boston told the New England Freedom Ride.
Occupy Los Angeles will begin October 1. Additionally, both Portland and Washington D.C. will start October 6.
