Wall Street Protests Capture Attention of the Nation

UPDATES:
As I put this together new info is constantly coming in. First, here is the latest video I put together.

I made 3 short videos from Friday night's protest at Police Plaza, 2 of which I posted. The first captures the marchers as they entered the Municipal Building underpass chanting, "We are the 99 percent" as they joined up with the smaller protest that began earlier with speeches - I have that for a follow-up video later on. -http://youtu.be/TwRu2Pxb6mg

The second I titled "Why are you here?" where I randomly asked people that question and got some interesting responses. I really like the way this came out so check it out.
http://youtu.be/IRcd0B7VX1c

Try this in your classroom
The 3rd video demonstrates the tactic of making a speech to a large crowd without sound equipment which requires a permit from the NYCPD and is often denied. So we hear the chant of "Mic Check" meaning be quiet there is a speech - the speaker uses short phrases which are then passed to the back in relay style - think of "telephone " - the game we used to play as kids where we whispered something that gets passed on and often mangled. But not here. Quite impressive with a thousand people, most sitting down to listen. If you want to show that you like what was said instead of applause, waggle your hand. It starts with chants of "Occupy everything."

Here's the you tube link - http://youtu.be/Cc4X3arPZSk



Michael Galinsky who did the great film "Battle for Brooklyn" about the Atlantic Yards corporate theft just sent this in: "http://vimeo.com/29953676 and we joined a collective film effort
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/egg/99-the-occupy-wall-street-collaborative-film."

Protests are spreading to other cities and more and more supporters are coming out here in NYC. Generally, relations between protesters and police are on the whole pretty good so don't let the pepper spray and arrests skewer things. Many people do a lot of talking to police who after all have families getting screwed too.

I just was listening to The Takeaway on NPR and they seem do exercised that they can't elicit a clear goal and demand from the protesters - until one guy said - "to build a social movement." I would say that when people ask me what our goals are in terms of the UFT and charters, etc. I would give the same answer - to activate people to the extent that they will decide in a democratic manner what the goals are. A few people making decisions is too easy to subvert by buying off the leaders. Even though Occupy Wall St. seems leaderless we all know that leaders emerge - as I've seen in the teacher movement here in NYC as new leaders are emerging but doing so in a collectivist manner.

Sunday teachers from NYCORE, Teachers Unite and GEM went down to do a Grade-In following the Chicago model we wrote about (Chicago Teachers Fight Back). In top photo GEM's Peter Lamphere of Bronx High School of Science double U-rated for union activity fame - he's the poster boy for why we need LIFO - grades paper.

Mark Naison wrote about the day -  The Wall Street Occupations and the Making of a Global Counter Culture:

Yesterday, I spent about an hour in Liberty Plaza sitting, walking around and talking to people before the event I had come for- a Grade In organized by teacher activists- finally began, and was stunned by how different the occupation was from any demonstration I had attended recently.

First of all, in contrast to the last two protests I had participated in – a Wisconsin Solidarity rally at City Hall, and the Save Our Schools March on Washinton-I saw few people my own age and no one I recognized- at least until the “Grade In” started. When I arrived, at 11 AM, most of the people in Liberty Plaza were the ones who had slept there overnight, and the vast majority were in their 20’s and 30’s- a half to a third my age. They were drumming, sweeping the sidewalk, talking to curious visitors- whom were still few in number- eating or chilling with one another and their relaxed demeanor blew me away given the tumultuous events of the day before when more than 700 protesters had been arrested by the NYPD after marching onto the Brooklyn Bridge. 

Mark and I are the same age and just relishing the rising up of the next generation. I am more focused on the people I work with in the GEM/NYCORE/TU axis and that is what keeps me involved though I am also very involved in some older gen support activities through the GEMATR committee - which I will post on later.

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