A Revolution is at Hand | Cufflinks Blog

A Revolution is at Hand

Occupy Wall Street has been going on for weeks now (since September 17th to be precise), gaining the attention of millions through social media sites and limited National media attention. At first it seemed as if news channels scoffed at the perceived “feeble” attempts of left-wing liberals to protest the greedy corporations that led us to an economic future with no future. That’s the thing with protests: first they are ignored, then scoffed at, then finally, taken seriously. And this 20-something educated generation is now looking at their massive college debt and employment rejections and noticing…something just isn’t right.

Wall Street

The generation primarily conducting these now global protests are the so-called “apathetic” generation: the social media, internet obsessed, cell phone era, post-radical civil rights movements kids. Now it seems they’re stepping up and not backing down. What was considered (and expected) to be a short-lived attempt at protest has now gained global attention, using social media as a tool in spreading the language of non-violent protest.

“Occupy Wall Street is leaderless resistance movement with people of many colors, genders and political persuasions. The one thing we all have in common is that We Are The 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%. We are using the revolutionary Arab Spring tactic to achieve our ends and encourage the use of nonviolence to maximize the safety of all participants.”

The Christian Science Monitor says, “As the movement spreads, political analysts and social scientists are asking whether this is the sort of social unrest that emerges only in hard economic times and recedes in better days, or is a sign of a new political movement emerging on the American landscape.”

“The movement has also attracted the attention and support of more traditional liberal organizations, such as organized labor, he notes. This group includes the United Federation of Teachers and the Transport Workers Union, some of whose members defied a New York City police request and refused to bus protesters arrested Saturday for blocking traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge.”

 

Nobody Can Predict The Moment Of Revolution from ivarad on Vimeo.

Nobody Can Predict The Moment Of Revolution from ivarad on Vimeo.

But it’s not always a sunny day at the protests: over 700 protesters were arrested on October 2nd, 2011 while crossing the Brooklyn Bridge. Some say it was an intentional “trap” by the NYPD to split half the march of protesters, proceed to block them in, and proceed with arrests. The rest of the protesters continued to march over the pedestrian side of the bridge with no legal repercussions.

The New York Times reports: But many protesters said they believed the police had tricked them, allowing them onto the bridge, and even escorting them partway across, only to trap them in orange netting after hundreds had entered.

“The cops watched and did nothing, indeed, seemed to guide us onto the roadway,” said Jesse A. Myerson, a media coordinator for Occupy Wall Street who marched but was not arrested.

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Currently there is a plan for a National Student Walk-Out on Wednesday, October 5th and a Community/Labor March to Wall St against Corporate Greed and the Big Banks** at 4:30pm. The labor march will take place at: NY City Hall (250 Broadway) to Zuccotti Park (map)

**Community Labor March to Wall St./Zuccotti Park Union members and community members impacted by the economic crisis have been demanding that Wall Street and New York’s wealthiest pay their fair share of taxes. Let’s march down to Wall Street to welcome the protesters and show the face of New Yorkers hardest hit by corporate greed. It’s time to stand together, and continue what was started in Wisconsin! Supported by United Federation of Teachers, 32BJ SEIU, 1199 SEIU, Workers United and Transport Workers, PSC-CUNY United NY, the Strong Economy for All Coalition, the Working Families Party, Vocal-NY, New York Communities for Change, Community Voices Heard, Alliance for Quality Education…many more joining daily.

 

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