On September 17th 2011, protestors gathered in Wall Street, New York City, for a demonstration which is set to last for weeks. Activists Adbusters raised the call, in July 2011, in a bid to have '20,000 people flood into lower Manhattan, set up tents, kitchens, peaceful barricades and occupy Wall Street for a few months.' It is being described as America's 'Tahrir Square moment.' Hacktivists Anonymous are amongst the demonstrators joining together, in the financial heart of the USA, in a rally against profit over people.
The One Demand of Protestors in the Occupy Wall Street Campaign
Demonstrators are angry about the influence that corporations and wealthy lobbyists have over the democratic process in the USA. They are calling upon President Barack Obama to create a Presidential Commission 'tasked with ending the influence money has over our representatives in Washington.' Tired of policies perceived as putting profit over the basic needs of the American people, Occupy Wall Street was conceived as a way to communicate this to the highest levels of government.
Amongst the campaign sites is We Are the 99 Percent, which highlights some of the concerns of demonstrators. They include the monetisation of healthcare, with the poorest people unable to afford essential medication and treatment; soaring unemployment, seen as being a result of a recession caused and perpetuated by bankers; homelessness through mis-sold mortgages and the inability to pay rents; and environmental pollution at the hands of industry. The 99% refers to the Americans who purportedly share only 1% of the country's wealth.
This comes in a week when the US Census Bureau released figures showing that poverty amongst Americans is at a seventeen year high.
Who are Involved in the Occupy Wall Street Campaign?
While Adbusters sounded the call for action, several other organisations and ordinary people answered it. Amongst the more celebrated protestors are hacktivists Anonymous, who have promised a physical presence under the banner #OccupyWallStreet.
However, they are not alone. The NYC General Assembly and US Day of Rage are two of the pressure groups angry at the observed corruption of politics by wealthy corporate lobbyists. New Yorkers Against Budget Cuts are railing against the acceleration of defence spending, while there are domestic issues. Their website exclaims, 'One cruise missile could pay 10 teacher’s salaries for a year!' Before raising their slogan, 'We need jobs, health care and education! Not continued budget cuts, prisons and war.'
They are just some of the organised groups joining the protest, in Wall Street, New York City, on September 17th 2011. Others are simply individuals who agree with the basic tenets of the day, without being affiliated with any particular cause.
Sources:
- Adbusters: #OccupyWallStreet: A Shift in Revolutionary Tactics. (July 13th, 2011.)
- Occupy Wall Street.
- The Economist, Pinched: Shocking Numbers Just as Sacrifices are Being Demanded. (September 15th, 2011.)
- New Yorkers Against Budget Cuts.
- NYC General Assembly.
- Tumblr: We Are the 99 Percent.
- US Day of Rage.
- Vanity Fair, Of the 1%, by the 1%, for the 1%. (May 2011.)
- YouTube: Anonymous - Occupy Wall Street. (Uploaded by Xen0ymous, on September 10th, 2011.)
Jo Harrington - Jo has a BA (Hons) in History and Philosophy and a MA in History. She has a book published on the history of Wicca.
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