(Protester who traveled from San Diego. This is his current home. A tent and sleeping bag.)
(Protesters gathered for the 8pm general assembly)
“Silence is Powerless”
(During general assemblies, individuals would volunteer their time to dictate information given during that particular meeting.)
(at the 3rd week, only independent media and local tv/newspapers were giving regular coverage to the protests at Zucotti park.)
(NYPD officer walking the perimeter of the park.)
(A young women was arrested by NYPD, circumstances of the arrest are unclear.)
( NYPD officers gather after the young woman’s arrest.)
(Living conditions for the many wall street occupants. Food, clothing and shelter have all been donated from various groups.)
Last week I made a trip to see the occupy wall street protests first hand and to get an idea of what this was all about from a first hand account and be able to understand the situation a little better at Zuccotti park in lower Manhattan.
I have been mulling over my experience and my images for nearly a week now, trying to nail down my feelings of what I saw. Getting to the park late on a Sunday did not allow for me to experience the vast numbers of protesters, marches and the large support the group is getting from various groups and unions that we have seen in what coverage of the protests were receiving from various media outlets but it did allow for me to see something truly wonderful and that is the start of a much needed dialogue as to the state of our affairs in this country.
While I had an intended to cover the individual side of this protest, getting to know individuals and their various reasons for being there, it was hard to jump head first into such a story without understanding what I was getting myself into in the first place. The personal story I want to tell has actually been covered extremely well through the blog http://wearethe99percent.tumblr.com .
What I did witness despite my brief time in Zucotti park is a strong foundation for what could become one of the greatest social uprisings that this country has seen in several decades. Baby boomers that I spoke to were energetic to see this type of spirit/public outcry brought forth by their children and grandchildren one that their generation carried during the Vietnam-era. Unlike the social movements of the 60’s/70’s that was made up of that generations youth, the current social outrage in lower Manhattan is in the hearts of every individual, regardless of age, education or social background. The common ground here of course is that everyone feels something is wrong with this country and this occupation was a way to get the necessary dialogue started to begin the pathway of change in this country.
That change is not something that will occur within a few weeks as the past four weeks have simply been the beginning. Change takes time and the individuals who occupy wall street are individuals who are in it for the long haul.
