EDITORIAL: Why We Protest

By Christina Fermin
Politics & Society Columnist

The Occupy Wallstreet protest began September 17, 2011 and is now gaining national media attention, the question that seems to be on the minds of the people is: why are they protesting? On October 1, 2011 the New York City General Assembly occupying Wall Street in Liberty Square (formally Zuccotti Park) released their Declaration of Occupancy ( http://nycga.cc/2011/09/30/declaration-of-the-occupation-of-new-york-city/). Most of which takes aim at the corporate hegemonic forces and the current economic and political structure that we have in place. All of which has clearly benefited the top 1% of the population who the protesters take issue with.

The protesters are known to say that they are the 99% who are tired of the massive inequality, injustice, environmental degradation and societal collapse that has taken place. This protest is more about corruption, greed and the unequal power that is rampant in Wallstreet, they are the “movers and shakers” of our present society. This past weekend, JP Morgan Chase ‘donated’ $4.6 Million to the NYPD foundation, their largest gift in the foundation’s history. How ironic, NYPD gets $4.6 Million dollars and they arrest over 700 peaceful protesters. It is obvious that the powers that be want something done about these people they have crawling the streets of NYC while chanting things like “Human Need, not Corporate Greed” and “People not profits.”

The people who have taken to the streets of New York come from all walks of life. They are young, middle aged and old. They are students, unemployed, employed, underemployed. They are the underpaid and overworked. They are people who have lost their homes to mortgage fraud and people without health insurance. They are people who are indebted without hope of ever getting out of debt. They are the white collared workers and the blue collared workers of America; they are the teachers, retail associates, firefighters, medics, teenagers, senior citizens, wealthy, poor, educated, bankers, lawyers, actors, musicians, conservatives and liberals of America. They are the representatives of the people who have not yet realized, we are the 99%.

This movement has been gaining traction, even against all the negative reporting and decentralized workings. There is now anOccupySF, OccupyChicago, OccupyBoston and the list goes on. There are occupy movement popping up across the nation from Florida up through North Dakota down to through Texas and across the West Coast and almost everywhere in between. Including international occupy movements from Japan, Australia, Canada, Europe and Mexico. The support has been widespread throughout the nation and the world. There are anywhere from a few people up to thousands of protesters at each sight of the nation and the world. Not to mention the protest movements still occurring in the various Middle Eastern countries, Greece, Spain, and Israel.

While the different protest movements around the country and the world may protest for different reasons. One thing has brought them together, massive injustice in one form or another. As these protests heat up and gain more traction, good will prevail. This is our moment as a human species to come together and work through this moment of despair. All that is wrong with the world cannot to hidden or ignored any longer, for far too long the injustice has been mounting. The people have awakened and we are pissed. The technology is available for all the world to live harmoniously on this wonderfully beautiful planet, it is time that society catches up. No longer can we live separate from each other, the planet or the species of the planet. Nothing functions independently, everything is interrelated to one another. It is time that we take a holistic approach and apply it to society using science and technology to get us into a future that is free of suffering, poverty, environmental destruction, greed and corruption.

Peace & Harmony,
Christina

About the Columnist With a bachelors degree in political science from Florida Atlantic University, Christina Fermin has always cultivated her love for history, politics, sociology, ancient knowledge and teachings, the outdoors, the ocean and the environment. Christina strives to make our world better by helping us all create a new reality and understanding of all taking place here and now.

Some Sites and Articles to Check Out:

We are the 99%

Adbusters

Occupy Together

Occupy Wallstreet

BOA Protest

Greece Turning to Barter System

NYC Transit Joins Occupy Wall street

Posted in: Editorial Columns