This is real and important. Occupy Wall Street relates to all of us.

Occupy Wall Street caught my attention on Saturday, September 29th, 2011, through social media posts.  100 people were arrested walking over the Brooklyn Bridge.  The mainstream media had not yet began reporting on this movement.  Now, they are!  There have now been reports of 700 arrests made related to Saturday's protests.  It is important to me to put my own spin on it.  Also, to excite and ignite more people to get involved with Occupy Wall Street (aka Occupy Together) in their own city.  There are many messages as these protests are growing with passionate participants who want to see change and are contributing their own knowledge and skills to this movement. 

I am certain that this revolution is gaining momentum because at least one, if not many, issues resonate for each and every American:

• Are you dissatisfied with our political parties? 
• Are you looking for work? 
• Did you lose your home or home equity? 
• Do you owe on student loans? 
• Are you worried about pollution in our air and water? 
• Are you concerned about the treatment of animals? 
• Have you been affected by discrimination?
• Do you need affordable healthcare? 
• Are you concerned with the safety of our food supply? 
• Have you questioned the ethics of business practices? 

These are only a sampling of some of the issues being addressed by the Occupy Wall Street movement.

It is disconcerting to me that pepper spray was used on several young women protesters on Saturday.  This was a peaceful walk but was met with violence by the police.  I also believe the march moved its' location from the roadway to the walkway.  I'm not clear why it would be an illegal offense to walk on the bridge walkway in a peaceful manner demonstrating freedom of speech and assembly.  Sadly, the police were doing their job as ordered.  I just wish the police also understood this movement, if successful, will help them and their families, too.  The police are included in the 99% of Americans needing more opportunity and equality.

In spite of arrests and pepper spray, I believe OCCUPY WALL STREET will be successful because it is a grassroots organization that is growing organically nationwide.  New protests are springing up in many cities.  San Diego.  Denver.  Philadelphia.  Chicago.  Phoenix.  Los Angeles.  San Francisco.  Wichita.  Miami.  Spokane. Louisville. Birmingham. Over 100 nationwide protest locations. There are demands being publicized, Washington D.C. outlined its' Top 7 Demands. It is embracing its' members and engaging them on many levels.  It is organized, intelligent, and technologically sophisticated even though many protestors are sleeping in sleeping bags.  They have set up welcome desk, communication/social-media hubs, medical area, comfort place for blankets, and food stations.  They are not allowing alcohol, drugs or smoking.  It is a peaceful and collaborative group just asking to be heard and for the system to change.

The original message spoke of 1% of the population vs. 99% of the population.  A disparity in income, equality, priviledges and power.  Certain benefits of taxation are definitely benefitting the top 1% up to the top 10% of Americans.  Taxation and other laws are developed by the government officials who seem to be working with the corporations closely.  Thus, a conflict of interest.  Some are asking for a separation of state and corporations just like the separation of state and church.  For more information on these numbers, please check out this Mother Jones article, "It's the Inequality, Stupid" by Dave Gilson and Carolyn Perot. Let's just say, for argument sake, that "same hands" referred to below is the TOP 1% OF WEALTH in our country.

"The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many...may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny," by James Madison, 1788.

The public service announcement (PSA) is spreading quickly.  Just look on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and the television.

• New York Times writer, Nicholas Kristof, commented on a potential cause of Occupy Wall Street outburst, "In effect, the banks socialized risk and privatized profits."
• Michael Moore has been very vocal and even tweeted, "Does anyone else get the feeling that Occupy Wall Street is just the tip of the iceberg on both sides?"
• Fox News interviewed a great spokesperson for the movement but it only got as far as YouTube.
• The Keiser Report interviewed Roseanne Barr about Occupy Wall Street issues. 
• There are comedians with poignant messages like Lee Camp.
• A more aggressive message to ignite action for this cause is being circulated by Anonymous.

Noam Chomsky, MIT Professor, spoke out in support of Occupy Wall Street, "Anyone with eyes open knows that the gangsterism of Wall Street — financial institutions generally — has caused severe damage to the people of the United States (and the world). And should also know that it has been doing so increasingly for over 30 years, as their power in the economy has radically increased, and with it their political power. That has set in motion a vicious cycle that has concentrated immense wealth, and with it political power, in a tiny sector of the population, a fraction of 1%, while the rest increasingly become what is sometimes called “a precariat” — seeking to survive in a precarious existence. They also carry out these ugly activities with almost complete impunity — not only too big to fail, but also “too big to jail.”

Looking at history, The Holocaust.  The hands of power were unethical and workers just followed orders.  We cannot allow the minority (1%) to rule the majority (99%). The system was flawed. 

Looking at comedy.  The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.  "Corporations are like people," stated by Mitt Romney inspired this spoof making people like corporations.  Check out Amerifam.  Too many loopholes and the system is flawed.

Looking at Hollywood, The Matrix. Morpheus says, "The Matrix is a system, Neo. That system is our enemy. But when you're inside, you look around, what do you see? Businessmen, teachers, lawyers, carpenters. The very minds of the people we are trying to save. But until we do, these people are still a part of that system and that makes them our enemy. You have to understand, most of these people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so inured, so hopelessly dependent on the system, that they will fight to protect it."

It's time for everyone to get informed and involved.  For the LOVE of our families, our friends, our neighbors, our colleagues and our nation. Join in on the OCCUPY WALL STREET movement in your city. This is not a fleeting protest, you will see that it relates to all of us and the prosperous future of American citizens (not just the upper echelon-top 10% or top 1%). We must demand accountability and responsibility.  For me, this is a movement about peace, equality and fairness.  It is worth my time and energy to help change the system.  We can change the course of history right now and work toward social and environmental justice, corporate social responsibility and sustainability.

_______________________

Official Statement from Occupy Wall Street - this statement was voted on and approved by the general assembly of protesters at Liberty Square: Declaration of the Occupation of New York City

As we gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of mass injustice, we must not lose sight of what brought us together. We write so that all people who feel wronged by the corporate forces of the world can know that we are your allies.

As one people, united, we acknowledge the reality: that the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its members; that our system must protect our rights, and upon corruption of that system, it is up to the individuals to protect their own rights, and those of their neighbors; that a democratic government derives its just power from the people, but corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people and the Earth; and that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power. We come to you at a time when corporations, which place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality, run our governments. We have PEACEABLY assembled here, as is our right, to let these facts be known.

• They have taken our houses through an illegal foreclosure process, despite not having the original mortgage.
• They have taken bailouts from taxpayers with impunity, and continue to give Executives exorbitant bonuses.
• They have perpetuated inequality and discrimination in the workplace based on age, the color of one’s skin, sex, gender identity and sexual orientation.
• They have poisoned the food supply through negligence, and undermined the farming system through monopolization.
• They have profited off of the torture, confinement, and cruel treatment of countless nonhuman animals, and actively hide these practices.
• They have continuously sought to strip employees of the right to negotiate for better pay and safer working conditions.
• They have held students hostage with tens of thousands of dollars of debt on education, which is itself a human right.
• They have consistently outsourced labor and used that outsourcing as leverage to cut workers’ healthcare and pay.
• They have influenced the courts to achieve the same rights as people, with none of the culpability or responsibility.
• They have spent millions of dollars on legal teams that look for ways to get them out of contracts in regards to health insurance.
• They have sold our privacy as a commodity.
• They have used the military and police force to prevent freedom of the press.
• They have deliberately declined to recall faulty products endangering lives in pursuit of profit.
• They determine economic policy, despite the catastrophic failures their policies have produced and continue to produce.
• They have donated large sums of money to politicians supposed to be regulating them.
• They continue to block alternate forms of energy to keep us dependent on oil.
• They continue to block generic forms of medicine that could save people’s lives in order to protect investments that have already turned a substantive profit.
• They have purposely covered up oil spills, accidents, faulty bookkeeping, and inactive ingredients in pursuit of profit.
• They purposefully keep people misinformed and fearful through their control of the media.
• They have accepted private contracts to murder prisoners even when presented with serious doubts about their guilt.
• They have perpetuated colonialism at home and abroad.
• They have participated in the torture and murder of innocent civilians overseas.
• They continue to create weapons of mass destruction in order to receive government contracts.

To the people of the world,

We, the New York City General Assembly occupying Wall Street in Liberty Square, urge you to assert your power.

Exercise your right to peaceably assemble; occupy public space; create a process to address the problems we face, and generate solutions accessible to everyone.

To all communities that take action and form groups in the spirit of direct democracy, we offer support, documentation, and all of the resources at our disposal.

Join us and make your voices heard!

These grievances are not all-inclusive.