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The “Occupy Wall Street” movement made headlines last weekend when hundreds of protesters were arrested while marching across the Brooklyn Bridge.
Similar protests have popped up in cities around the country, including Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
What are the 'Other 99 Percent' and 'Occupy Wall Street' protesters demanding?
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Unemployment, the lack of national health insurance, and low minimum wages have all been sited as reasons people have joined the movement. |
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In a recent NewsHour report from the protesters’ rally, economics correspondent Paul Solman asked several protesters why they were there.
“For me personally, child labor, international labor issues were a big thing, sweatshops,” said Wil Cook of Oakland, Calif.
Ronit Mecham of Watertown, N.Y., cited issues from airport security measures to pesticides in food as her reasons for protesting.
Protesters say it’s OK that there isn’t a central message to their movement. “People came from all over the country to try to figure out something to do. And so their message is, they want to provoke discussion about financial injustice,” said protester Chris Cobb.
The movement also calls itself "The Other 99 Percent" in reference to ordinary Americans who they say do not have access to the wealth and power controlled by the top 1 percent.
Comparisons to 1960s America
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"The similarities were striking: spontaneity, solidarity, earnestness, and, of course, dissatisfaction with the status quo," said NewsHour correspondent, Paul Solman of the similarites between Occupy Wall Street and the so-called Sixties. |
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Whether or not ‘Occupy Wall Street’ will spread or last as long as the famous protests against the Vietnam War in the 1960s remains to be seen.
Julie Shapiro of DNAinfo.com told the NewsHour she expects the Wall Street protests to last. "I think that they're there for the long haul. They don't have a specific endgame, a goal of, if X happens, then we will all go home. I think they're trying to transform the political system of the country, which they recognize is going to take time, and that it serves them to be there and to be gaining attention and to have more people be aware of their goals,” she said.
Some protesters see links to global uprisings
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Thousands of Greeks took part in a general strike against cutbacks, which the country has to pass to continue receiving funding from an international bailout that is preventing Greece from defaulting on its debts. |
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And while many protesters describe disillusionment with the American Dream and the promise of a good life if you just work hard, others see a global movement tied to recent protests in Greece and other countries.
"It's not just the American Dream. It's about the world dream, a lot of us who are here aren't just for America. We're here because there's economic issues that are linked throughout the whole entire world," said protester Robert James Carlson.
For more about Greece and to read student reflections on the country's economic situation click on the following link: Greek-American Students Report on Economic Protests
PBS NewsHour Slideshow: A Day with the Occupiers of Wall Street
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Joplin was able to rise from the ashes because of help from everyone. And I am eternally grateful to anyone who made that possible.
