Inspired by the massive public protests in Cairo’s Tahrir Square and Madrid’s Puerta del Sol Square, hundreds have camped out in a square near Wall Street since Sept. 17, 2011, as part of a campaign dubbed "Occupy Wall Street." — Democracy Now @ Youtube
On Saturday NYPD and its counter terrorism beat arrested and humiliated 80 activist for terrorizing Wall Street. These are the peaceful protesters with articulate voice and a message, aware of social injustice growing in American cities. Could this be the beginnings of American Spring?
In the mean time around the high culture speak, the architectural press has a more positive 'view' of a thriving city, ohh.., the Big Apple love... "The decade has been a golden age for the city, a renaissance in architecture and urban design."
Urban Design how and for whom madam? For the tourists of New York?
Anyway.
18 Comments
Cornel West visits the protesters.
...and Susan Sarandon joined them today!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=Nn18DdJX-IM
police brutality
Ineffective. We require more additional pylons. jk.
On a more serious note, this protest doesn't seem to have much a direction other than "OMG, it's the corporations you damn foos!" One needs to protest against poor financial planning and corruption by banks (e.g., subprime loans). For now, it just appears to be some hippies and students protesting against--well, I'm not sure what exactly.
Wall Street is a symbolic entity--protesting in front of it annoys people (everyday normal people like you and me), but it's not going to stop electronic buying/sharing of stock. You might as well throw your computer and your neighbor's computer out the window for the same effect. Oh snaps, it's 2011!
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/17/wall-street-protest-begins-with-demonstrators-blocked/
Regarding Max Keiser's last words, it is too early to tell what works and what doesn't work. It is not a formula. These things can take really unexpected turns. Tactical failure is okay. They are doing something. Nationwide discontent is spreading in one form or another...
OP17, your comments are absolutely ridiculous. They are basically protesting the way wall street operates in general, and they are there to express their discontent. They are not economists and they do not have to be. The nature of public protest is very different than a dissertation on economics. Yes, wall street is symbolic, so is the protest. Maybe if more people who feel the same way, besides the "hippies" and "students" you mention, use their constitutional right to protest and "annoy everyday people like you" we might be in a less abusive economy.
Protesting against Wall Street greed is now 'terrorism'? When are these cops going to realize that the protest is fighting for them too. Don't they know are their pensions are next?
Hmm, this story was curiously absent from the evening news.
this movement will bite a lot of people and financial institutions in the ass.. you watch. this is just the beginning. then there will be mindless tea partiers fighting these people like the counter terrorism police. people will come out the woodwork in increasing numbers until it reaches the critical mass.
there is an element of critical urbanism issue in this too. did you think american cities belong to people?
mindless
There is something big happening here....it's only in its infancy now, but I believe we all know what it is though we can't put our fingers on it.....
socialist utopia?
Occupying Wall Street is a great start. But don't forget that it is an Washington/Wall Street axis that has been systematically centralising power in the hands of a few at the expense of many. Heads need to roll in DC too, yo!
Another excellent posting from ilargi:
"It’s time to make one thing clear once and for all: the financial institutions at the heart of our economic system are finished, broke, bankrupt. Since 2008, they have been kept alive only by gigantic infusions of our, the public's, money. We have been, and still are, told this is only temporary, and that the money will help restore them to health and then be repaid, but temporary has been 3 years and change now and there’s no restored health anywhere in sight." ... read more at the automatic earth , yo!
i don't think this has to be a partisan protest. people from all walks of life are hurting right now. they want fair chance at future and decent return on their labor, affordable healthcare, education, housing and jobs to make a living.
is that a socialist utopia?
GO ARCHITECTS!, you do realize the protestors were protesting illegally and chose not to protest in a legally designated spot. I mean it's great to exercise constitutional rights, but exercising it in a wrong manner will get you into trouble. When you have laws, and those laws are enforced, people cry "fascist."
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/17/wall-street-protest-begins-with-demonstrators-blocked/
Granted, protestors don't need to be economists. However, they should have some form of leadership that recognizes the complexities thereof; a representative who knows the facts from the ground up. This protest lacks any cohesive goal and doesn't seem to understand that we ourselves, are the culprits and creators of a poor economy. It takes both an unsustainable consumer behavior, corrupt banks, and a government that endorses such acts (amongst other poor decisions, teaparty for example), to create the poor economy in America today. Subprime loans are a great example out of many. Until these are addressed in a clear and cohesive manner, these protests will only be a moot point and forgotten within a few weeks.
https://occupywallst.org/forum/why/
"Ocuppywallstreet is leaderless resistance movement with people of many colors, genders and political persuasions. 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%."
I'm not sure about those estimates--it seems someone just pulled it out of their collective ass, much like the rest of the writing on that website.
Well, I am blowing off sailing (no pun intended) to go to this tomorrow:
http://occupylosangeles.org/
Noam Chomsky is endorsing it:
https://occupywallst.org/article/noam-chomsky-solidarity/
I hope to see some Archinectors there.
Here's a followup by Krugman about WHY the protests count, and why it is the job of the policy makers to figure out the specifics of the protesters' demands
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/07/opinion/krugman-confronting-the-malefactors.html?_r=1&src=tp&smid=fb-share
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