Occupy Wall Street spreads across America
Cops might be cracking down on Occupy Wall Street protesters in New York City, but activists are now bringing their big-bank bashing across the country with demonstrations springing up from coast-to-coast.
More than a week after protests began in Lower Manhattan, the Occupy Wall Street movement is moving, well, off of Wall Street. Both Los Angeles, California and Chicago, Illinois have both hosted demonstrators in the days since the first protest kicked off in New York, and now dozens of more locales across America are expected to be swarmed upon by citizens sick and tired of corrupt corporations and financial institutions run amuck by mismanagement and greed. Within the next few days, occupation-style protests like the one happening in Liberty Plaza Park, Manhattan are expected to occur in Washington DC, Lexington, Kentucky and San Francisco, California. Elsewhere organizers are laying down the groundwork to soon wage demonstrations in cities like Omaha, Birmingham and Philadelphia, as well. Occupytogether.org has started up as an online hub so that like-minded individuals that have had enough of the corrupt ties between K Street and Wall Street can launch protests across America.“We will only grow stronger in our solidarity and we will be heard, not just in New York, but in echoes across this nation,” writes a post on the homepage of Occupy Together.This past weekend, Occupy Los Angeles demonstrators led a march through the streets of LA to show their solidarity for their East Coast brethren. On Saturday, Californians will come together again and march to City Hall, hoping to pull in the support of thousands. Occupations in New York are expected to continue as well.Even if the number of protesters in Los Angeles pale in comparison to the thousands that have gathered in New York for the same cause, that isn’t to say that the message is any different. "Corporate interests seem to be controlling both parties," one protester out west says to laactivist.com. "The 'little man,' the 'American every man,' just isn't getting their voice heard. When you need $35,000 to donate to a campaign to get your voice heard, to have a meeting, that's not democracy."In Chicago, what began as a small group of only four demonstrators grew to 20 over the weekend. Some of them have stayed camped out in front of Willis Tower. On Friday, they marched to the Federal Reserve Bank to rally there. Occupy Together shows that demonstrations are expected to continue in conjunction with the NYC rallies throughout the Windy City.Dozens have been arrested for participating in peaceful protests since the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations began earlier this month.
