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Protestors Want To "Occupy" Wall Street, Not Quite Sure Why
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Sep 7, 2011
Modified Sep 7, 2011
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Gothamist
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Sep 7, 2011
Modified Sep 7, 2011
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A loose group of left-leaning groups such as Adbusters Magazine, the hacking group Anonymous, and We Are the 99% have announced that they will "occupy" Wall Street on September 17th for an indefinite period of time. The goal is to have 20,000 people "flood into lower Manhattan, set up tents, kitchens, peaceful barricades, and occupy Wall Street for a few months." Essentially it will bring the Hoovervilles to the well-heeled. A Tahrir Square moment, if you will. "Once there, we shall incessantly repeat one simple demand until Barack Obama capitulates," an event organizer tells CBS. But what demand would that be? That all hinges on a Facebook poll, which is totally what Gandhi would have done.
Currently, at the top of the list is "Revoke Corporate Personhood," which we all know would really piss off Mitt Romney. The second entry is "Abolish capitalism," which is just adorable. "End corporate Welfare" seems a little bit more doable, but we like "Four-hour work day" the best. Also, maybe a Shake Weight for every citizen?
If these groups want to make an actual impact, they'd better find a slogan, and fast. The trouble seems to be that there are simply too many things to protest, so the whole thing may suffer from the same affliction as Mr. Burns: Three Stooges Syndrome.
Tagged
2012
anonymous
economy
great depression
hoovervilles
obama
president obama
wall street
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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