On October 22, students from SUNY Old Westbury took a bus to the Occupy Wall Street Protests. The bus trip was cramped and crowded. The students went to see what was happening, to celebrate the death of Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi, or to join the protests. Students who did not have the opportunity to venture into the city very often and those who do but are still filled with awe tilted their heads at odd angles to gaze up at the skyscrapers, famous buildings and high-end fashion shops on the way into Lower Manhattan.
A block away from One Liberty Plaza, the city looked as it did on any other day but once the bus had arrived at Zuccotti Park, everyone knew they had arrived at the event of the year: the Occupy Wall Street Protests. Crowds gathered around a line of protesters facing Broadway who were holding signs ranging in subject matter from denouncing corporate greed to promoting peace, love, and understanding.
Exiting the bus, the students were handed flyers, including directions to the park, ways to get involved and donate in English and in Spanish, a Workers World Party Forum flyer advocating Socialism in the United States, and a sticker that had an emasculated face superimposed over bio-hazard sign: “Exalt your Zombie Bankers, the New World Profiteers.”
Unfortunately, the most popular newspaper of the occupation, the Occupied Wall Street Journal, was out of print for the day by the time the students had arrived.
The students made their way around and through the park. There were many sights, both cynically amusing and spiritually touching. A man called out, “Don’t eat the rich! They leave a bad aftertaste!” A few paces away, protesters fabricated an all-faiths shrine, decorated with tokens from Buddhism, Hinduism, Shintoism, plants, offers of apples as well as Catholic incense and prayer candles.
Wandering through the park, students were exposed to more signs and slogans. Among the more political signs were statements such as “American Capitalism IS the Road to Serfdom” and “Vote the Republicans out of the Supreme Court” as well as “Audit the Fed, Investigate Ben Bernanke,”
“Bring our troops home, Start protecting our borders, 10 years is too long!”
Some of the people in the park use the protests as an opportunity to earn money. Vendors set up shops selling tchotchkes and cheap articles of clothing like knit-caps, scarves, and t-shirts. Others offered to sell works of art and life-coaches plied their trade. Musicians played and singers sang, the bands accepting donations.
Some mentally ill and discontented pedestrians stumbled through the park as well. One man, dressed in all denim and in poor dental health, wandered through the park screaming obscenities. A protester sitting nearby looked up with alarm at this interloper and potential agent of destabilization. The protester jumped up with a sign and held it in the man’s face as the man screamed at him. The protester held the sign two inches away from his head until the man wandered up the steps and staggered down Broadway. The sign that the protester was holding said, “Why are you here?”
In the center of the park, there was a large group of Muslims, dressed in both Western and traditional garb. A woman in a white hijab led a chant saying “This is what democracy looks like, this is what America looks like, we are the 99%!” People in the crowd were quick to discuss the injustices perpetrated on them and their families in Palestine and on Muslims in the United States.
Sara Flounders, a member of several organizations including the Workers World International Action Center was willing to discuss the Socialist ideology. She stated that “a majority of young people in America are opposed to capitalism but do not know any alternatives.” She referred to an unfair tax system and unequal distribution of wealth and young workers who are becoming impoverished and unemployed because business owners can outsource jobs with no negotiation or input from the workers. She discussed how education used to be free or available for nominal cost but is now very expensive and not available to many people. “We can afford nutrition, education and healthcare for all but now, poverty is greater than ever. A capitalist economy benefits the few, ” she said.
Also present were environmental groups which spoke at great length about a plan by an energy corporation called Spectra that wants to run a gas pipeline through New Jersey and Manhattan that would transport radioactive materials through New York City, exposing New Yorkers to hazardous materials. They advocated that New Yorkers take action and attend public opinion forums and tell state legislators to oppose the pipeline and keep the city free of radioactive materials.
It seemed that the Occupy Wall Street Protests have become a platform for several groups to express discontent, spread awareness and communicate their messages to anyone willing to listen.
Verizon workers led a march in which some Old Westbury students like David Madrigal, a psychology and philosophy major, participated. Regarding his experience, he stated: “At first it was kind of boring. Just people hanging out, making it into a kind of tent city. Then the group of people organizing the Verizon march started walking and we joined in. We walked all the way down to the Verizon building, chanting with drums and everything. Drums always liven up the spirit. That was fun. Then we made it to the Verizon building and there were already a bunch of protesters already there; cops were all around making sure that everything went peacefully… We weren’t really saying much. We were chanting ‘end corporate greed’ but that wasn’t the main issue; the main issue is deregulation by the government of corporations and the influence of corporations on politics.
“It’s starting small and may not be the most appropriate thing for this problem but it is rocking the boat in American politics. It is showing politicians and corporate leaders that the American people are beginning to wake up from their collective trance that everything is all right and that working as slaves is what life should be about.
“While there were no actual solutions given, at least none that I could hear… Just the fact that people are out there protesting, taking over public land, taking over public space, is awakening our leaders to the fact that the people are searching for change and that like people in other countries, we won’t give up until we actually get change. It would be sad if this whole thing dissolves into nothing; that it just fizzles out.”
While some students were very optimistic and sympathized with the protestors, others felt disappointed. For example, Rigo, a Media and Communications major who only wanted his first name used, said, “Everyone there was contradicting themselves. They say they want change and how they want to improve this country… they say, ‘Well, I’m currently unemployed but by being here, my voice is being heard.’ But who’s hearing your voice, the hippie standing next to you?”
It seems that an individual’s experience depends on his or her level of involvement, expectations and how well they felt they could relate to the protesters. Some students who would identify as Marxists could find kindred spirits there. Others who saw the more theatrical side of the protests would find it hard to take them seriously and would find them absurd.
Any way one looks at the Occupy protests springing up around the world, they are gaining popularity and momentum. Now in their second month with winter fast approaching, which may will be a turning point in the protests and as well as in national and international politics, it will be interesting to see which way the paradigm shifts. Will the protests fizzle out with the cold weather? Will they take a winter break? Or will they last longer than anyone expected and have a greater impact than anyone could ever have imagined?