Social Commentary: Occupy Wall St.

10/13/11

Occupy Wall St.

In the days following the Civil War, a young black man approached Frederick Douglass on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. With all due reverence the young man asked Mr. Douglass what he, as a young black man, could do to help the cause of his race. Douglass replied "agitate young man, agitate".

Zuccotti Park, Lower Manhattan

Over the past few weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to cover the Occupy Wall St. protests that have been held in Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan. During that time, I’ve managed to observe the demonstrators from both a distant and intimate perspective.

When I first drew the assignment to cover the protests for TV news, I have to admit that I was less than thrilled. I saw it for the long hours I would be spending in the streets, shooting and interviewing a bunch of clueless, young, wannabe hippies! I felt that it was nothing more than another one of the many small, ineffective protests waged by mostly deranged people that I had seen so many times picketing and chanting in front of the NYSE. In fact, I was so negative about it that my wife chastised me for being an “old fuddy duddy”! She reminded me that we were once very much like those clueless, wannabe hippies, trying to end the war in Vietnam and change the world. And, if they REALLY believe in what they’re doing, they just might succeed. They certainly should not be mocked for their efforts. Quite to the contrary, they should be lauded. As usual, in time, I came to see that she was completely right. As the hours went by in my duties covering the event, I would do what I always do with a story: let it unfold and let the story tell itself.

These are my observations and subsequent conclusions.

First, many of the protesters ARE clueless, young wannabe hippies. Many are there simply because it’s a happening i.e. an opportunity to party, join in drum circles, participate in group chanting, and create what can only be described as a carnival atmosphere. There are jugglers. There are gymnastics. There is face painting. And, I’m reasonably sure, there is even some drug use going on (on the streets on NYC? Oh, no!). However, I must admit that I did not observe any drug use first hand. But this type of behavior is not unique to Occupy Wall St. In fact, this behavior can be observed at virtually any gathering of mostly young people. Its purpose is to create harmless bonding.

A few of the participants that we interviewed were genuinely not what one would call stable personalities? We spoke with one middle-aged woman who said that she once owned an employment agency that specialized in placing architects. Because of the faltering economy she was forced to close her business. The reporter and I thought “bingo” this is the type of interview that would lend gravitas to our story. Suddenly, in mid-interview, the woman changed gears and started telling us that things got really bad for her when “the actress Mercedes Rule put a contract out on my life”. End of interview! But large, popular gatherings like this always attract people who live beyond societies norms. Let’s face it; many of these people were there in the first place because they are genuinely marginalized by society. (Some are just more marginal than others) It’s one of the main issues being voiced by the protesters. They want to create a more inclusive society and a truer democracy.

When you think about it, the protesters are democracy in action. They have become the voice of change. What started out with a small group of mostly students in NYC has grown to become a movement of hundreds of thousands, spread out in cities all over the country. The group claims to represent the “99%” of the population that carries the burden for this country while the remaining 1% lavishes themselves with the rewards. The big “rap” on the organization is that is does nothing more than “whine” about our troubles without offering any solutions. As recently as the other day, former President Bill Clinton, who generally supports the movement, jumped on that bandwagon by claiming that “it’s easy to complain but much harder to resolve” (my quotes). Well, as my wife so insightfully said to me when I gave her that same argument, “it’s not the protesters’ job to resolve the issues. That’s up to the lawmakers and legislators, etc. It’s their job to bring light to these issues in the most significant way possible. And that they have done”. And, once again, she’s right! They are the Howard Beals of Network fame, collectively screaming “WE’RE MAD AS HELL AND WE’RE NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE”!

And so far, it seems they have struck a cord with that 99%! The protest has continued for nearly a month and shows no sign of weakening. In fact, it strengthens daily. As recently as this morning (10/14/11), the group flexed its new found muscle when it “altered” the City’s plans to remove them from the park so that it could be cleaned. Zuccotti Park is privately owned and is usually cleaned daily. It had not been cleaned since the protesters began their vigil in the park. Claiming unsanitary conditions, the owners asked the city to clear the park for that purpose. The protesters would be allowed to return to the park after the cleaning but would not be allowed to re-erect tents or bring sleeping bags into the park. Many people, not just protesters, saw this is a veiled attempt to break the momentum of the protest. Well, it failed!! In a brilliant move of democracy in action, a compromise was reached (THE PARTY OF NO – please take note) which would allow the park to stay “occupied” by the protesters indefinitely: First, the group mobilized and thoroughly cleaned the park. And, next, and, perhaps most importantly, they organized a campaign, mostly using the Internet, to flood NYC officials’ email with a petition consisting of over 350,000 names from ALL OVER THE COUNTRY in support of Occupy Wall St. and calling for a moratorium on the removal of the protesters. As he has from the beginning, NY Mayor Michael Bloomberg supported the First Amendment and, so long as the public good was generally served by the presence of the protesters in he park, no laws were broken, and area businesses were respected, Occupy Wall St. can continue un-interrupted at Zuccotti Park.

There is perception and there is reality. Many people still see this group as, mostly, a bunch of filthy hippies. As in all things, there is some truth to that. If you choose to, you could “classify” some of them as hippies. Some of them are indigent and, so, may not practice the best hygiene. A producer in the studio asked me if it really smelled there, implying a lack of sanitary conditions. I said, “of course it does, it’s on Broadway and it smells like Broadway ALWAYS smells, terrible”! It really had nothing to do with the people in the park. But, in reality, I also met unemployed construction workers from Boston and businessmen from New York. There were grandmothers and grandfathers. I saw ethnicities of EVERY type. There were many families with children participating. Meals were organized. Speeches and marches were scheduled. Volunteers formed sanitation committees. Schools made field trips to the site to see this democracy in action firsthand.

From what I have seen during my time there, it is entirely inclusive. It MUST remain inclusive. That’s the POINT these people are trying to make. We’ve lost touch with that concept. And they are trying to reclaim this right as Americans. In many ways (and god help for saying this!) they are the liberal incarnation of The Tea Party. They, too, want to reclaim the country for the people. Their goals are similar, as are some of their methods, but the base remains far apart. IMHO The Tea Party remains more exclusive while Occupy Wall St.’s goals seem more inclusive.

However, it’s worth noting that there is one thing both of these divergent organizations can agree on: the need for change in our way of governing. The true power must be returned to the hands of the people. And it could happen if we can find a way to harness the obvious dissatisfaction that we ALL feel and turn into a force to be reckoned with! The Tea Party has, and continues to exert its influence on the American political scene. Well, now they have to make room for its muscular cousin – Occupy Wall St.

And, POWER TO THE PEOPLE!

It sure feels good to say that again.