UConn students join Occupy Wall Street

Ten UConn students, most from SSDP and Idealists United, mobilized for the nation-wide walkout Wednesday Oct. 5 to support the Occupy Wall Street protests.  Several students remained overnight in Liberty Plaza, the park one block away from Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange where the protests are centered.  The march on Foley Square and the Department of Justice began at 3:00 p.m. in defiance of the 700 arrested on the Brooklyn Bridge on Oct. 1. 

 "Show me what democracy looks like!  This is what democracy looks like!" was the call-and-response chant that defined the atmosphere of the protest. With marches from Seattle to Boston, people from all walks of life united as the 99 percent.  There is solidarity, as the movement does not identify with a specific social class, ethnic group, gender or religion.  

"The feeling of unity between such a diverse group of people was inspiring," said Ryan Walsh, 5th-semester psychology major.  

The movement is also empowered by the elderly facing decimations to retirement funds and Social Security.  The young, middle-aged, unemployed and retired are all exercising their right to civil disobedience.  The political fabric of the movement  is also diverse, including anarchists, progressives, libertarians and conservatives.  In addition, representatives from 14 of the nation's largest labor unions joined the ranks of dissenters on Oct. 5, expanding the number of protestors in the march to approximately 5,000. "The lives of the 99 percent are dictated by the 1 percent who control the majority of the wealth and power," said Brenna Regan, a 7th-semester environmental justice major and co-president of Idealists United.  "We need to infiltrate the economic and political structure by continuing to grow.  It is imperative that this movement extend to every city."  Regan is also in support of the OccupyHartford movement, which has recently been granted a sizable portion of land by the Knox Foundation.  The location has been named Turning Point Park, and can be found at the intersection of Asylum Ave. and Farmington Ave. OccupyHartford organizers have learned from the successes and failures of Occupy Wall Street.  They have organized a ten committee system to support needs for Food, Shelter, Media, Finance, Legal, Tech, Expression and Medical.  They meet daily for a general assembly where committee reports are made, propositions are suggested and resolutions are passed.  They communicate through the People's Mic, which is a call-and-response system designed to deliver messages to large gatherings when noise ordinances are being imposed.  Still uncertain as to whether or not they can erect tents as the protestors for OccupyBoston have on Rose Kennedy Greenway, Hartford occupants have been sleeping under tarps for warmth.  Though the protestors are predominantly white and middle-class, the community members hope that more residents, ex-cons and undocumented immigrants in the city will arrive when it becomes clear that they are not trying to be arrested. 

Due to their smaller numbers the approach of OccupyHartford differs from OccupyWallStreet.  The tactic in New York has been to develop a media campaign that exploits police brutality in order to garner support for the grassroots movement.  One sign that read "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised—It Will Be Livestreamed," summarized this approach.  

"Social media allows for the replications of movements throughout the world," explained Jason Ortiz, 10th semester public and community engagements major.  

After returning to Liberty Plaza at approximately 7:00 p.m., protestors decided to extend the march to Wall Street.  The NYPD was opposed to such action, preventing protestors from traveling the block from Liberty Plaza to Wall Street.  Police pepper sprayed many and arrested a reported 28 throughout the course of the evening.  Journalist Luke Rudkowski was capturing the mayhem on film when he was attacked by an officer, later thanking the NYPD for participating in the media campaign. 

The issue of media coverage is perhaps the greatest challenge to the movement as it begins to garner recognition from mainstream outlets that previously blacked them out.  Many reports attempt to minimize the size and effect of the protests, slandering the occupiers with the title "liberal Tea Party."  

Now Democrats are attempting to claim the movement under their political umbrella as well.  "Media outlets such as Democracy Now!, Alternet, Truth-Out and occupywallstreet.org are all helping to spread the truth about us," said Regan. 

News outlets from around the world are reporting on the Wall Street Occupation, representing such countries as Austria, Greece, and Egypt.  The occupiers have created a large banner that reads "Arab Spring, European Summer, American Autumn" to explain the international influence of the movement.  

"There were people in attendance from all over the world for both practical and ideological reasons," said Logan Place, 5th-semester economics and political science major.  After supporting the march in Hartford on Friday night October 7, Place slept in Turning Point Park before attending the march on Washington Square in New York Saturday, Oct. 8 with eight other UConn students.  "The atmosphere was tense because we didn't know if we would be arrested," said Place.  "But nobody's been detained since Wednesday night."  The NYPD have already spent $1.9 million in police overtime since the occupation began on Sept. 17.