For the past week, Wall Street has been awash in protesters. The Occupy Wall Street movement, which started with nearly 1,500 people but has since dwindled to around 200, has been doing just that since Sept. 17. Inspired by the Arab Spring, the protesters are mostly young people, embittered with the economy, joblessness and social inequality. Their motto, “We are the 99 percent that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1 percent.”
The group doesn’t have a defined leader, although it is loosely associated with AdBusters, a Canadian anti-consumerist magazine, and Anonymous, a group of “hacktivists” who promote civil disobedience through social media, and this nebulous quality is reflected in its apparent lack of real direction. Because of the imprecise nature of the group, their effectiveness is perhaps less than it could be under more formal leadership, but the protesters remain undaunted.
Most members of the group are protesting corporate greed and its influence on American politics, the economy and social inequality, but others are speaking out about the death penalty, environmentalism, drug use and a variety of other causes. Even the protesters who are in the majority have had difficulty pinning down just what their goals are, and seem unsure of what exactly needs to change but certain that something has to.
The effectiveness of the protests is one thing, but the reaction to them is another entirely. New York City police have responded to the peaceful protesters with overwhelming force. Eighty people were arrested on Saturday alone, and many of them for offenses such as crossing the street, talking to police or wearing masks. The protesters have been diligent in recording the police response, recording videos of young women being penned in with orange netting and then sprayed with mace, protesters being thrown over barricades and general use of excessive physical force on protesters.
Furthermore, the media response has been lukewarm at best. It wasn’t until the mass arrests Saturday that any real attention was given to the protesters — a full week after the occupation began — and even then the tone seemed to be “Oh, look at those crazy hippies.” If 200 Tea Party members were occupying Wall Street, however, I would bet my life savings that the TV cameras would be rolling nonstop. What does it say about America’s current state that when the Tea Party talks everyone listens, but when peaceful liberal protesters are rounded up and sprayed with mace, the country just rolls its eyes? Occupy Wall Street might not be Tahir Square, but it’s the beginning of something, and we should be listening.