Photo by Kensie Wallner

The Effect of Occupying Wallstreet

Our Opinion / Are You Aware of the New World Disorder?

By Cindy Gomez-Schempp
Editor

A revolution has begun in America. Some say it began on Sept. 17 when people in America were fed up with corporate crimes and humiliating poverty began occupying the streets; some say it was already here for a while by then.

Regardless, people are occupying the streets by the thousands. They are occupying Wall Street in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Lexington, Albuquerque, Chicago, Seattle and Los Angeles and the list keeps growing.  Although it has already been two weeks since these protests began and thousands join their ranks daily, very little has been seen or heard about the movement on main stream media news. There has also been a deafening silence from the corporate world or from Capitol Hill or the White House.

The diverse crowds of disenfranchised protesters heavily comprised of our youth has been harshly criticized for lacking organization, clear demands, intelligence, or hygiene. Undeterred by criticisms or lack of media coverage, this new age of Iphone wielding, twittering protesters are YouTubing and broadcasting and Facebooking their own news. And their movement has snowballed throughout the U.S. and the world gaining heavy hitter support from unionized labor like the United Steel Workers. They have 850,000 members in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean alone.

Add to them the United Federation of Teachers, SEIU, Workers United, and the Transport Workers Union. Then add the Working Families Party, MoveOn.org, Make the Road New York, the Coalition for the Homeless, the Alliance for Quality Education, Community Voices Heard, United New York and Strong Economy and the list who join keeps growing daily. Also lending their support are public figures like Susan Sarandon, Michael Moore, Van Jones, Dr. Cornell West and the marines. Van Jones reported that a group of American Marines added themselves to the ranks on the front line to confront police attacks on protesters saying, “[t]hey’re going to stand out there with those young people in their dress uniforms. And one of them had a sign and the sign said, ‘This is the second time I fought for my country… It’s the first time I’ve known who my enemy was.’”

Those Marines that are standing up in protest recognize that along with the swell of support, something else has also grown: fear and violence. Police acting as agents of the authoritarian government and its capitalist cronies are breaking up the embarrassing protests and busting some heads. MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell reported in horror the police abuses occurring in New York have gone unnoticed by Americans. See full report: http://tiny.cc/wallstreetmarines.

As evidence, O’Donnell pointed to the Rodney King videotapes which shocked most of white America, but were merely a recognition of ‘life as usual’ for people of color with regard to police brutality in America. The real threat from out-of-control abuse of authority from law enforcement has been heightened by reports of censorship of twitter feeds with the hashtag #occupywallstreet, giving the U.S. social media followers the false impression that no news was circulating from the U.S. about the occupation of Wall Street. The report of censorship of social media noted that J.P. Morgan’s corporate interests have sunk 400 million into twitter “and in return…” - - the assumption is that corporate interest are being protected, by our government. The report goes on to allege that freedom of information act requests for explanations into the censorship will likely result in “national security” interest responses.

The question is, what do we as Americans continue to give up as freedoms in the interest of “national security”? Moreover, what does the “national security” interest represent, if not corporate interest intrinsically linked to the government those corporations have purchased?

The images we usually picture when we think of protests historically involve masses of scared people, seen screaming or crying while police beat them down with batons, mow them down with power hoses, and carry them off in cuffs. But there are other images from our protest past that we should keep in mind these days. Those where, like today, blood has been shed.

Currently, there are no reports of protester deaths related to the upraising in America against corporate interests. However, with the quickly escalating violence that may not be the case for much longer. During the height of America’s protest movements against the war in Viet Nam and in favor of human and civil rights, protesters in America gave their lives to protect our collective freedoms. In the Kent State massacre, students opposed to the Viet Nam war were abused by police – much as today – then murdered. History recalls that the National Guard involved in those shootings were exonerated because of a plea of “self defense”. However a government conspiracy has recently been uncovered in a 2010 review of the “Canfora tapes” concluded that National Guardsmen were ordered to “shoot” into a crowd of unarmed anti-war protesters: http://tiny.cc/kentstateorder. These history lessons and the current climate of police brutality seen dispersing throughout America in response to the uprising of youth and disenfranchised working class poor is troubling, to say the least. This lesson is especially poignant in light of our President’s recent pronouncement that if he considers you to be a terrorist, he can have you killed on site – without due process, wherever you may be in the world. As long as the president, and the interest that he represents, find you to be a villain dangerous to U.S. security, you can too can be eradicated permanently for your thoughts or actions. The deaths Anwar Awlaki and Samir Kahn should be a frightening reminder to those who oppose America’s governance and the rights which America currently afforest to those who oppose it. It should be a wake- up call to protesters, especially those 700 protesters in New York who tweeted that they were lured onto a bridge by police, only to be arrested for obstructing said bridge.

The reality for those who can no longer keep silent; those who oppression, fear and hunger has pushed onto the streets to protest these afflictions is bleak. Attacks to the freedom and accessibility to social media are already being restricted by an American government who likes to hold accountable countries like China who have restricted internet access to censor its own citizen revolts. Protestors will be targeted, arrested and injured continually in the weeks and months to come and there will be little recourse for the abusive actions of authorities - - as O’Donnell prophesied.

But the rise of poverty and protest will likely continue. With so many unemployed the campaigns of groups such as “We are the 99%” is growing beyond government control. Poverty and desperation drives them. See their stories here: http://tiny.cc/the99percent. Soon, cities like Fargo-Moorhead and other metro areas all around the country will have to resign themselves to the masses that live homeless and unemployed – laying in plain view before their eyes. When one percent of the population holds so much of the country (and the world’s) wealth – what else can we expect?
People all over this country are getting maced in the face, smashed in the head and arrested for saying “We’ve had enough!” The occupation is spreading anyway. It’s already here. Facebook just announced an occupation page for North Dakota at http://tiny.cc/NDoccupy and the Minnesota occupation is listing protest schedules at http://www.occupymn.org/ as you read. This isn’t your letter write in, sign the petition or call your congressman type of movement so don’t just “like” this on Facebook, get off your duff and occupy.

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