Every day since Sept 17, protesters have been camping out in New York’s Zuccotti Park and marching to Union Square (renamed Liberty Square) on Wall Street. An amorphous list of demands has been posted on coupmedia.org. Notable demands so far include: the elimination of corporate rights as persons; the repeal of the Patriot Act; a restructuring of financial regulations; an end to the War On Drugs; free education from kindergarten to college; and a forgiveness of all student loan debts.
The protests have attracted a number of high-profile attendees including rapper Immortal Technique, Susan Sarandon, Michael Moore, Dr. Cornel West, author of Race Matters, and others. In a message to protesters, political theorist Noam Chomsky said, “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)…. The courageous and honorable protests underway in Wall Street should serve to bring this calamity to public attention.”
On Friday, the NY Transport Workers Union Local 100, comprised of more than 38,000 members, unanimously voted to join the protest.
There has been little coverage of the protests in the mainstream media. Police have been using pepper spray and nets on the crowds, and hundreds of arrests have been made so far. The New York protesters are coordinating with activists nationally and worldwide, including planned protests in Toronto and Montreal, via occupytogether.org.
