Occupying Wall Street Shocks NY, Revolution Reached US?!
They said it could never happen in Uncle Sam's Land. They said it is the USA.
At the foot of Wall Street, in the belly of the beast of aggressive market finance, thousands mostly young protesters demonstrating against corporate greed are attempting to push through a police barrier and occupy the iconic street.
US Police are beats them back with mace and batons, one white-shirted officer lashing into the crowd indiscriminately with his nightstick.
The air tastes of pepper spray, and there are screams from the crowd. "Who are you protecting?" they chant. The Obama generation is beginning to receive an ugly answer to that most basic of political inquiries.
These protesters are part of a breakout march from the Occupy Wall Street demonstration in Manhattan's Liberty Plaza, which has now been in place for almost three weeks.
Demonstrations against economic injustice are springing up in cities across the United States, and many thousands are involved.
Under the glowing windows of Wall Street's palaces of finance 20,000 students, labor members, activists and angry citizens scream in one voice "the people, united, will never be defeated!"
Labor unions, enthused by the energy of the protest, have been swift to come out in support of the occupiers, and have joined them for a march and rally in Foley Square, taking up their mantra: "We are the 99 per cent."
"We have to take back this city, we have to take back this state, and most important of all, we have to take back our democracy," A protest told the "Independent" British Daily.
The process of taking back democracy, however, is rarely painless.
To date, 23 arrests of peaceful protesters have been recorded in New York. On Broadway, at the intersection of Wall Street, demonstrators are dragged out of the crowd or off the pavements, roughly cuffed and taken away by the police.
Protestors have a huge list of grievances, ranging from the mountain of US student debt to shrinking retirement benefits for the elderly, as the United States struggles to regain its once powerful economic stride.
The protesters' main anger is directed at corporate influence in politics and the government bailout of financial institutions in 2008. It also comes against a backdrop of dismay at the lack of leadership from either President Barack Obama's Democrats or the opposition Republicans a year from a presidential election.
Source: "Independent" and News Agencies , Edited by moqawama.org
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