I was at Zuccotti and Union Square parks today in New York City in search of Occupy Wall Street protests. What I found (and didn’t find) was discouraging.
First I went to Zuccotti Park, the birthplace of the OWS revolution, to show my support. I’m very supportive when the temperature is seventy degrees or above. I journeyed far and came well armed with my Wall Street Wally pig mask and about 2,000 cards promoting “The Art Of Corpocracy” videohttp://artandresponse.com/corpocracy promoting action against the government’s servitude to the 1%.
When I arrived at the hollowed destination, I found the block that was previously lined with protesters touting clever signs, now were lined with people holding signs selling bargain blackberry contracts. Turns out that Bloomberg only allows people in that park with signs that offer a 10% discount. Score it:Capitalism-1, Democracy-0
Taken aback, but undeterred, I traveled upward to Union Square Park where OWS had planned a protest in solidarity with the Million Hoodie March for Trayvon Martin. You would think the fact that that case concerned a (counterfit) cop killing a black kid (who was guilty of wearing a hoodie) without being held responsible would somehow temper Bloomberg’s Anti-First Amendment Rights Brigade to tread lightly. Not so much. Before I arrived the police had stormed the protest, trying to close off the park with metal barricades. They arrested six people with what some might consider unnecessary force considering one woman was knocked unconscious and taken away in an ambulance. By the time I arrived there were a smaller group of protesters (50 or so) peacefully displaying signs and singing songs. Then came a brigade of blue surging in for no apparent reason to trample on the signs and look intimidating.
I find it discouraging that corporations have more rights than (actual) people and they won’t let us protest it..