United States: Occupy Wall Street Returns

Written by Robert Valencia and Translated by Eleanor Staniforth

This post is part of our special coverage #Occupy Worldwide ^[1].

Many people were questioning Occupy Wall Street’s future after the eviction from Zuccotti Park and the harsh weather conditions which prevented the occupiers from camping out last winter. However, according to the occupiers themselves, the movement never disappeared and they are now determined to occupy public spaces around the country, just as they have done already in Union Square in New York City.

The movement has not only taken the streets. On February 15th, a microblog titled 99% Spring ^[2] was set up, in which approximately 40 organizations inspired by Occupy invited around 100,000 people on the eve of the tax period in the United States to tell “the story of our economy” from April 9th to 15th. The occupiers have also called for a march from the centre of Manhattan to Wall Street on May 1st. The resurgence of the Occupy movement has been so impressive that one of its members in Philadelphia almost won a candidature for Congress ^[3].

The blogosphere has noticed the resurgence. The blog Indignant Feminists ^[4] [es] states that the Occupy movement has become stronger through the participation of women:

Aquí en el Hemisferio Norte, por ejemplo, las mujeres participaron activamente en los inicios del movimiento Ocuppy [sic]. Sin embargo, este movimiento ha dado la imagen de ser predominantemente masculino (y en los Estados Unidos, blanco y joven) – así como indiferente al hecho de que el capitalismo simplemente no se puede transformar sin enfrentarse a su fundación: el patriarcado, que depende de controlar y explotar a las mujeres. Y las mujeres, por cierto, son el 51% por ciento de ese 99% (y el 0% del 1%).

Here in the Northern Hemisphere, for example, women were active participants in starting the Ocuppy movement [sic]. However, this movement has given the impression of being predominantly masculine (and in the United States, young and white) – as well as indifferent to the fact that capitalism cannot simply be transformed without challenging its foundations: patriarchy, which depends upon the control and exploitation of women. And women, by the way, make up 51% of that 99% (and 0% of the 1%).

The blog Maestroviejo ^[5] [es] points out that the Occupy movement was also launched in Minneapolis towards the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012:

Durante el otoño y el invierno, los manifestantes, al instalar tiendas, realizaron manifestaciones en diferentes partes de la ciudad de Minneapolis. Después de estas protestas las fuerzas de la policía del Estado intensificaron las medidas a fin de restringir el ingreso al campo durante las noches y eliminar las tiendas de los participantes.

During the autumn and winter, the protestors made protests in various parts of the city of Minneapolis by pitching their tents. Following these protests, the State police forces stepped up their efforts to restrict entry to the camp at night and to remove the participants’ tents.

On Twitter, Anonymous (@YourAnonNews ^[6]) refutes the idea that the Occupy movement has failed:

Think Occupy has failed? The entire rhetoric and tone used to discuss the economy & WallStreet are now different because of THAT movement.

Daltonicum (@Daltonicum ^[7]) notes that there is even a discographic production in honour of the Occupy movement:

El movimiento “Occupy Wall Street” graba un disco llamado “Occupy this Album” con la colaboración de bandas como Mogwai http://daltonicum.posterous.com/el-movimiento-occupy-wall-street-graba-un-dis^[8]

The “Occupy Wall Street” movement has recorded a CD titled “Occupy this Album” with the collaboration of bands such as Mogwai http://daltonicum.posterous.com/el-movimiento-occupy-wall-street-graba-un-dis ^[8]

Jason Brickley (@azureblade7 ^[9]) suggests that the movement is flourishing once again:

Spring Revival: Occupy Wall Street Seeks to Rejuvenate Movement http://dlvr.it/1SSkR2 ^[10]

The following images are of the Occupy movement in New York City (all photos were taken by the author):(refer to the original article to view images. A link is available at the bottom of the page.)

Article printed from Global Voices: http://globalvoicesonline.org

URL to article: http://globalvoicesonline.org/2012/05/02/united-states-occupy-wall-street-returns/