#takewallst

'Occupation Wall Street' strikes New York | The Observers

9/23/11 – 12:23am

I'm sitting at a table in what used to be Zucotti Park. For the past 6 days, activists of all stripes have staged an occupation of this park, changing its name to Liberty Plaza and declaring it essentially an autonomous zone. The police presence on the perimeter has been constant, resulting predictably in clashes and arrests. On the whole, however, things have gone over rather peacefully. More than anything, the people who have occupied this space spend their time working. We have divided into different working groups, each assigned with different goals that have to do with both maintaining the physical space (like medical, comfort, food, etc) and also building a sustainable and vital movement (outreach, tactical, media). There has been a palatable sense of building momentum the whole time I've been here and it is infectious and inspiring. Our numbers have increased, though slightly, every day and planned marches this weekend will likely draw thousands more here. There are conversations erupting all over the square with people debating everything from demands, tactics, politics to music, culture, and their lives outside of the square. Every night the square is methodically swept and cleaned and the pictures and media from the day are furiously uploaded and tweeted. It is becoming more and more difficult to tear myself away from the square every night, even if it is to the comfort of my own bed. Even a block away, as one walks through the canyons of glass and steel of the world's financial center, the crushing weight of the magnitude of our struggle is daunting. How can a rag-tag group of young activists with anger in our hearts and a will to brave elements change centuries of entrenched power? Is this even possible?

Here in the heart of savage rationality and greed, we are creating a movement for tangible change based first and foremost on a democratic process that ensures that everyone's voice – and especially the voices of those historically oppressed – are heard and valued. Twice a day, the people of Liberty Plaza break into a massive meeting lovingly and triumphantly referred to as the General Assembly. The meetings are facilitated (read: not led) by two to three members of the facilitation committee. Here, the people can bring up proposals, discuss concerns, and strategize on growing the occupation and the movement. It is a beautiful thing to watch. The NYPD's refusal to allow us to use amplified sound has actually been a blessing in disguise. This creates a need for a “people's microphone” - where as one person speaks the rest of the crowd methodically (and sometimes painstakingly) repeats every word verbatim in order to ensure the person's voice is heard by all in attendance. Everyone is listening, everyone is repeating. The meetings are facilitated with a complete respect for a democratic process called modified consensus. Rather than take a majority vote, the Assembly is asked to consense – agree - on proposals as a collective. A series of simple hand gestures, some taken from American Sign Language, are used by the Assembly to express themselves. Fingers wiggling in the air (Sign Language for applause) is used to signify agreement, while forming a triangle with your fingers signals that the democratic process has broken down in some way. A block – making an “X” shape with your arms – means that you have serious ethical or safety concerns with a proposal currently being discussed and blocks consensus if/until the concerns are resolved. Using these hand signals, the Assembly trudges through the items on the agenda, taking two or three hours to do so. In a strange way, this process is both completely liberating and cumbersome. There are many impassioned diatribes and the process often stops for clarifications or other reasons. Even discussing small issues can easily eat up large swaths of time when two-hundred highly opinionated people are both allowed and encouraged to weigh-in. Despite the inconveniences, the adherence of the Assembly to a process that is truly inclusive and democratic is incredible and sometimes breathe-taking. Everyone leaves these meetings feeling empowered and accomplished. I do wonder how long we can keep this process up as our occupation grows. It is one of the many bridges we must cross when the time cross.

(Ramin Talaie/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"ABC News’ Erin McLaughlin reports:

Protesters who vowed to “occupy Wall Street”  are holding their ground in downtown New York, and say they have no plans to leave anytime soon.

The protest started Saturday with a “Day of Rage,” when thousands of people gathered in the Financial District and vowed to stay on Wall Street as long as it takes to make their point that they will “no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%.”

Organizers have said they hoped for as many as 20,000 people to join the protests, but estimates Saturday were that the crowd peaked at around 5,000.

Although the number has dwindled since Saturday, those remaining seem to be in it for the long haul. According to tweets sent out by Occupy Wall Street, the group has blankets, food, and space heaters available for protesters.

The New York Police Department says that even though the demonstrators don’t have a permit for the protest, they have no plans to remove those protesters who seem determined to stay on the streets.

According to the Occupy Wall Street website, the effort was inspired by the lasting demonstrations of “our brothers and sisters in Egypt, Greece, Spain, and Iceland.”

Organizers of the protest told ABC station WABC-TV in New York that they are hoping the crowd will grow as the work week begins Monday. Like the protests that inspired this one, the demonstration is being fueled by social media, with supporters using the Twitter hashtag #takewallstreet to organize meetings of the so-called “General Assembly” and to advertise the effort. The event is also streaming live online.

According to a statement on the Occupy Wall Street website, supporters of the movement are angered by what they call the principle of “profit over and above all else.”

“The one thing we all have in common is that We Are The 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%,” the statement said. Demonstrators at the event echoed that sentiment.

“We want accountability on the part of the politicians as well as the corporate owners because they’re completely entangled in each other,” protester Gaia Weiss told WABC-TV.

“Officials in Washington either don’t know how to do their jobs or they’re too specific to their party to actually be progressive to America as a whole,” protester Collin Quinlivan said.

The protest comes after comments New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg made last week that some may argue seem to have forecast the event.

“You have a lot of kids graduating college who can’t find jobs. That’s what happened in Cairo. That’s what happened in Madrid. You don’t want those kind of riots here,” Bloomberg said.