Occupy Wall Street

Occupy Wall Street

On Wall Street and around the United States, there is an ongoing protest called “Occupy Wall Street.”  The protest is a rally against social and economic inequality among the American people, corporate greed, and corporate power and influence over government.  The slogan of the protest is “we are the 99%” which refers to the difference in wealth between the top 1% and the rest of the people in the United States. 

                I think the people who are protesting have a good argument and I can get behind them and support their cause considering I myself am part of the 99%. However, I also think it’s going to take a lot more than what is going on now to even perk the ears of the people on Wall Street.  The movement is growing, and continues to show signs of getting bigger and stronger, but I don’t think it is enough to make their point heard. I think that in order for anything to be changed, something extremely drastic will have to take place. After all, when the protesters try to assemble peacefully and have their voices heard, they are usually run off or arrested. It’s crazy that it clearly states in the constitution that we have the right to assemble and peacefully protest, yet every time a group of people gets together to do so, authorities do anything and everything they can to try and suppress or stop it. Countless people have been arrested so far and hundreds more have been displaced or removed from the protest as a result of the authorities trying to contain the protests

                I also think it is pretty crazy how dedicated these people actually are. This protest has been going on now for over a month and people are still going strong and not giving up hope. They have slept outside and stayed on location for the entire process and have yet to budge. Outside organizations have also stepped in to aid with the protest by feeding the protestors, and offering other helpful supplies throughout their stay.  It should also be pointed out that the protests are spreading. The protest that started out in New York City gained huge support from the American people and has since spread all over the country. There are now protests taking place in cities such as Boston, Chicago, Columbus, and even Lexington.  The protest has grown tremendously since its birth in mid-September, and it shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Maybe of these crazy people keep it up long enough and continue to gain support they will be heard by someone.

                In conclusion, I normally tend to ignore things like this and I’m normally not one to follow a nationwide protest (or any protest at all for that matter). But this one seems to be a little different. It may be because I can relate to it more than normal, or the fact that it just intrigues me to know how quickly this thing gained support. Whatever the cause, I will continue to keep up with the news and pull for the ones sacrificing their time and bodies for this cause.