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Occupy Wall Street- One Year Later?

By: Brett Redmayne-Titley

One year. Really? It can seem like five years when considering all that Occupy Wall St., and the national Occupy camps,have accomplished in a mere 365 days or less. When reflecting on the national Occupy movement it is almost surreal as the memories flood in, and the stories of the national Occupy protests a recalled with passion.Sometimes it seems like this all started just weeks ago.

September 17, 2012, S17, is the first anniversary of the first, and original, Occupy camp at Zucotti Park in New York City. Thanks to the inspiration that was then, and still is,Occupy Wall Street,OWS, the largest collective national protest in 40 years erupted in damn near every city in America. In the space of just a few weeks the Nation followed the example set by Occupy Wall Street and set up similar camps with similar structures to highlight the quest of Americans for a means of protest. These Americans across our nation are mad as hell but had no voice. In Occupy they found a democracy for their voice, their protest, and their statement of being “mad as hell”.

Starting Saturday, September 15, and culminating in a full Wall Street Occupation on Monday, September 17, the organizational forces of OWS will show that, despite the razing of all the Occupy camps, the influence of Occupy, and the Americans who are Occupy, are still here and have not changed their opinions. Preparations are going well. A web-site dedicated to S17 (XXX) has the latest updates available to all. A full schedule is on the main page.Ed Needham, of OWS, spoke of the,”few hundred people working in separate groups weekly,” to facilitate the events of the many groups, and their issues, that are coming. Occupiers from as far away as the West Coast, Canada, the UK, and Spain have declared that they will be there.

 

In of metropolitan area with twenty-two million people within driving distance, this anniversary will be a celebration. Occupy and its accomplishments have shown, on many occasions that America continues to gather in opposition and therefore effectiveness. Without going into specifics of the many planned meetings, actions ,protests and marches, Ed Needham spoke of “there is no shortage of intellectualt and engaging actions that highlight many areas of interests, ” of the groups providing a focus throughout the weekend.

Occupy camps in every city in America gave a visual means of American protest for all the world to see. We held these camps to the last man, forcing the regime to carry us out, in non-violent protest. Occupy showed the world how similar our government is to the many other world authoritarian models in dealing with non-violent protest. We forced our government to move the G-8 summit from Chicago to a military enclosure at Camp David, Md. We closed the ports of Oakland, Long Beach, and Houston. We forced our government to illustrate, repeatedly, that we are right in fearing it. We forced our government to arm itself with 750 million rounds of hollowpoint ammunition for killing Americans. We forced our government to ring its two political conventions for our only two political figureheads, with enough cops and weopons, to prevent all possible expression of the First Amendment. We exposed the weakness of conventional political, social, ecomomic, ecological, and international lies, using facts. We made people discuss issues. We took the white sheet off the mainstream media. We exposed the treasons of the president. Occupy showed we were deciples of non-violent First Amendment protest.We have honoed the legacy of King, Ghandi, and Mandella.We are still here.

Occupy put the power of a new word in the world lexicon; “Occupy”. The word is now feared by our government and gov’ts world wide.That single word, a year later, gives powerful meaning to so many embattled Americans, in their outrage at so many issues of today.To them Occupy is power. Occupy! Resist. Occupy! Educate. Occupy! Change. Occupy! Democracy. Of the people. This is cause to celebrate. A word, now so powerful, from so simple an idea, forever more on the lips of all Americans. The year that spawned Occupy will be part of American history.

 

Of course these are just the highlights of this past year. Everyone who’s made the decision to be part of the movement for change, in any capacity, has memories of this last year that will last a lifetime. As Occupy lives on it has thrived in the local battlefield. Foreclosures have been stopped by “occupations”. Billions of dollars left the clutches of the “too big to fail” banks in favor of local banks. National protests have been regular in cities across the nation. In San Diego hundreds marched against the Transpacific Partnership Treaty negotiations, held there in July. In Los Angeles there have been protests against Walmart, Lockheed Martin, and others organized by Occupy. At Occupy Wall Street, protests have become a regular part of the New York City landscape. This weekend they will continue.

The dedication these national activists have shown in working to keep Occupy viable, despite the minimalization by the press, make them heroes of true American democracy. It is no small feat to maintain the energy and optimism required of our long-term struggles. One year ago we all thought we would, indeed, be the 99% by now. As we celebrate our anniversary we can also celebrate that we now know the gravity of the task ahead. American apathy. Americans voting against their own best interest. A media propaganda machine that is working. A government that hates what we stand for. But, now we know all that. Occupy, and all occupiers, are now better prepared for the test of wills to come.

Occupy is pure democracy. Occupy is the power of numbers and it is the power of the majority. It is the power of history. This weekend in New York City we must celebrate how far we have come in such a short period of time and steel ourselves for becoming the leaders, perhaps the example, for Americans to follow in the emerging struggle. Occupy this us. Occupy welcomes all. In New York City this weekend let US celebrate what we have accomplished.

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