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Occupy Wall Street Protests Spread

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‘Occupy Wall Street’ protests spread to D.C., Boston, L.A. and Chicago

View Photo Gallery —  The movement is seeking to gather 20,000 people to set up beds, kitchens and peaceful barricades in order to occupy Wall Street for a few months as Boston protests support their effort to end corporate greed.

Tuesday, October 4, 12:55 PM

The ‘Occupy Wall Street’ protest movement that began last month has begun to take root nationally, with sympathy rallies planned in other major cities across the U.S.. As Colum Lynch reported :

New York’s budding anti-capitalism protest movement began last month with a vague sense of grievance over the widening gap between the rich and poor in America.

But in three weeks, it has provided fuel for a broader national anti-corporate message, drawing inspiration from the Arab Spring but struggling to define its goals beyond a general feeling that power needs to be restored to ordinary people.

Now similar protests are springing up in Boston, Los Angeles and Chicago, and organizers in Washington plan a march at Freedom Plaza on Thursday to “denounce the systems and institutions that support endless war and unrestrained corporate greed.”

On Monday morning, the scene at the heart of the self-styled Occupy Wall Street movement — Zuccotti Park, two blocks north of Wall Street — had the feeling of a street fair, with women in brightly colored wigs playing with hula hoops.

A collection of protesters wearing white face paint with streaks resembling blood at their lips conducted a “zombie parade” down Broadway to underscore what they see as the ghoulish nature of capitalism.

Despite having no single leader and no organized agenda, the protesters insist they are on the verge of translating their broad expression of grievance into a durable national cause. “The criticism has focused on the lack of cohesion in our message and demands,” said Arthur Kohl-Riggs, 23, a political activist from Madison, Wis. But what the critics don’t understand, he said, is “the value of forming a direct democratic movement” that is not controlled by political elites.

 

The protests gained more institutional support when a national transit union, the Amalgamated Transit Union, pledged its support Tuesday. As Michael Bolden explained:

The “Occupy Wall Street” movement has been winning support from many quarters, but the latest comes from the world of transportation.

On Tuesday, the Amalgamated Transit Union, with more than 190,000 members in the United States and Canada, pledged its support.

to read more, find the links, and check out the photos, go to:    http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/occupy-wall-street-protests-spread-to-dc-boston-la-and-chicago/2011/10/04/gIQA9IOOLL_story.html