Zuccotti Park, one of the many fairly unknown and generally unassuming parks in New York City, was quiet and peaceful on the morning of September 17th, 2011. This was not to remain, however, as it would soon become the center of a global movement, and with it gain the attention of the entire world. For it was in Zuccotti Park where Occupy Wall Street (OWS), a movement in which protestors “occupy” public spaces 24/7 to bring awareness to their cause, began. This movement started as a way to bring awareness to grievances the protestors had with the actions, and the government’s response to those actions, of Wall Street banks and financial institutions before, during, and after the financial crisis in America. Occupy Wall Street has since spread to hundreds of cities around the world and has begun to incorporate additional issues beyond that of their namesake. The occupation protest that Occupy Wall Street has chosen, is an effective style of peaceful protest, which has made OWS a movement that those with similar ideologies should join or work with. Occupations of the past Occupations in general are a very effective form of protest, as it keeps the movement in the news for prolonged periods of time. This enables a stronger platform for the movement to build upon, which allows people to share their grievances, and makes those statements harder to ignore. The occupation protest has a long and storied history. One of the most recognizable examples in recent history was the occupation of Tahrir Square in Egypt; which occurred during the protests and continued throughout the resulting revolution in that country. Closer to home, the Bonus Army, a name given to a group of individuals during the great depression that went to Washington D... ... middle of paper ... ... October 16, 2011: 37. Lightblau, Eric. "Democrats Try Wary Embrace Of the Protests." The New York Times, October 11, 2011: 1. mediamatters.org. Fox's Guilfoyle: Wall Street Protesters Are "People With Absolutely No Purpose Or Focus In Life" There To Just "Dirty The Streets". September 30, 2011. http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201109300025. Milne, Seumas. "Comment: The Occupy movement has lit a fire for real change: Establishment praise for protests reflects anxiety at public anger - which now needs to be turned into political pressure." The Guardian, October 20, 2011: 31. Office of the Press Secretary. "News Conference by the President." The White House. October 06, 2011. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/10/06/news-conference-president. Timpane, John. "In Occupy movement, many voices, interconnected." The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 11, 2011: A03.
Others protest that has had an effect on America since the Amendment was ratified are protest against war such as Vietnam and Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Civil Rights Movement, and more recently the protest of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Seattle. Also the many strikes and pickets labor union have been involved in through out history. There are differences among these gatherings. The most striking difference is typically if the protest is violent or non-violent. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Henry David Thoreau referred to the use of civil disobedience. In the movie, ?Breaking the Spell? protesters felt they were not being violent since the items they damaged belong to big business.
Group leader’s early estimates of the number of participants proved to be very optimistic. Approximately 5,000 protesters had gathered in Lincoln Park by the Sunday evening before the convention was to begin. The first confrontations between demonstrators and law officials occurred following a peaceful afternoon march. The police, enforcing a ban on overnight camping in the park, randomly attacked protesters, bystanders, and media personnel, chasing them into the city’s Old town District. This pattern was repeated on August 28, following a legal rally in Grant Park, across from the Hilton Hotel, where a number of delegates were staying. The rally was attended by by S.D.S., Yippies, National Mobilization, and Open Convention protesters. In addition to a number of older, nonviolent demonstrators, including disillusioned McCarthy supporters. (Chicago Riots Mar the Democratic National
Zissou, Rebecca. "'Freedom Fighters.'" New York Times Upfront. 22 Apr. 2013: eLibrary. Web.1 Oct. 2013.
"Inaugural Address by President Barack Obama." The White House. The White House, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. .
Obama, Barack. "Address to Joint Session of Congress." The White House. Office of the Press Secretary, 24 Feb. 2009. Web. 5 Apr. 2014.
Peaceful protest brings people together. According to Currans (2014), a group of women gathered outside a library in Manhattan, New York to protest war, rape, ethnic cleansing, and human rights for everyone around the world. The women handed out flyers to people who were nearby. Throughout the protest other women saw that the protest
I stopped on the sidewalk and looked up toward the White House and then back in the other direction. Both my cousin and I hadn't expected to see anything but the usual Washington museum exhibits and eateries that day; instead we got caught up in a march that neither of us believed in and one that I wouldn't have chosen to see. The march seemed to have no beginning and no end; it seemed as though it went on for miles. I looked at the mass of people in awe, amazed that so many people could organize to fight for something they believed in. I'd never seen something of this scale and I was stunned by its mass and power.
Markovits, Daniel. "Democratic disobedience." Yale Law Journal June 2005: 1897+. Criminal Justice Collection. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.
Among the many forms of protests are pickets, strikes, public speeches and rallies.
Obama, Barak. “2012 State of the Union Speech.” The White House. Capitol Hill, Washington D.C. 24 Jan. 2012. Address.
A. The "Top 10 American Protest Movements." Time Magazine 12 Oct. 2011: 4. Print. The.
The working class, faced with all the struggles that capitalism puts it through, is bound to revolt against the ruling class. During the 19th century, Marx states that “the workers begin to form combinations (Trades’ Unions) against the bourgeois; they club together in order to keep up the rate of wages; they found permanent associations in order to make provision beforehand for these occasional revolts. Here and there, the contest breaks out into riots.” Today, the working class hosts manifestations and form multiple organizations to help them through their struggles. In New York, the Occupy Wall Street movement organizes marches to demand fairer laws, such as universal health
Reed, Roy. “Rights Marchers Push Into Region Called Hostile.” New York Times. 23 Mar. 1965: 1+
Restoration of the living wage, free college education, ecological restoration, racial and gender equality, open borders migration, outlaw all credit reporting agencies etc. (Anonymous, 2011). These demands should create many jobs in the long run. One thing that has been lacking in this protest is the clear demand and Occupiers saying, the problem is capitalism! Capitalism is predicated on limitless achievement, maintaining a permanent lower class, deliberation of wealth in the hands of the 1%, exploitation of human labor and ultimately the destruction of our planet.
Conservative people would call Banksy’s graffiti as being vandalism instead of recognizing the fact he brings social issues to the eyes of the people through artwork. “Son of a Syrian Migrant Worker” and “Migrant Birds” both display how ridiculous we, humans, truly appear when trying to argue over immigration worldwide. Graffiti benefits urban societies of the 2010 era because, the art form is not only used to express ones’ emotions but, express their political objectification, in this case, Banksy addressed the issue of immigration. Banksy’s graffiti functions as a social critique because he uses humor to explain the societal issue of immigration; “Migrant Birds” is more persuasive than “Son of Syrians Migrant worker” because Banksy shows