As the Occupy Wall Street movement approaches its one month anniversary, it’s showing no signs of slowing down – quite the opposite.
Hundreds of protestors are still sleeping and living in Zuccotti Park full time, and depending on the time of day, the crowd in lower Manhattan ebbs and flows, sometimes reaching into the thousands.
Although it is clear that anger and frustration with the economy sparked the protests, the vibe there is far from angry. Protesters hold up signs peacefully along the perimeter of the park, while others, in the interior, read, talk, play music, and dance.
A dry erase board at the group’s information booth outlines the day’s schedule, which includes morning yoga, and afternoon cardio. There is a “People’s Library” full of books, a makeshift kitchen which distributes free food, and a “Comfort Station” where you can pick up a pair of socks, a sweater or a sleeping bag.
In addition to the flat screen monitor showing real-time social media discussions about the movement, and a map tracking similar “occupations” popping up in cities around the country, the protestors have created their own newspaper, The Occupied Wall Street Journal, which is published in both English and Spanish. Every night at 7 p.m. the group gathers for its General Assembly meeting, which is an open forum to discuss their agenda and address organizational issues.
Amplifiers are not permitted in the park, so the protestors have developed a “human microphone” system. When someone needs to speak to the group, he or she will shout “mic check!” several times until it’s repeated by a large number of people, and together they echo the message of the speaker.
Curiously, the Occupy Wall Street protestors are not actually occupying Wall Street itself, but a group of uniformed NYPD officers are. They’re stationed at the area around the New York Stock Exchange, barricading traffic and keeping pedestrians confined to the sidewalk. I saw two officers standing guard over the iconic Wall Street bull, which has been caged for its own protection.
The protestors in Zuccotti Park say their group is leaderless by design. Several of the protestors who have been there since the movement began told me that they are not interested in coming up with a list of defined political goals right now. Rather, their aim is to encourage a populist social movement, to inspire change.
“Change” was the word I heard most often. Although people have come here for myriad reasons, they share frustrations about economic and social injustice.
The group has been criticized for lacking specific policy goals (though they do have the Declaration of the Occupation of New York City document), but as one of the protestors told me, that’s the point. They want to break away from the current political system.
“The Declaration of Independence didn’t have any policy goals, it was just a list of grievances,” he points out.
Tune into WMHT's New York NOW this weekend to see Marie's report from New York City.
