Occupy Wall Street: Zuccotti Park

(Community Matters) Walking through Zuccotti Park, visiting among Occupy Wall Street participants was more impactful than I expected.  Sure . . . . there are some people there who I’m not sure have anywhere else to be. And, there are many earnest and dedicated advocates who believe they may help save our country. Polls suggest they are making a big impact – the media’s political narrative has transitioned from only debt & deficits to jobs and income inequality. Before the occupation debt was mentioned 100 times more often than jobs by national media. Since Occupy Wall Street, as measured during the middle of October, jobs was mentioned nearly 5 times as often as debt – “occupy” and “wall street” were even mentioned many times more than debt.

 Over 80% of Americans agree the economy is upside down, that too many Americans are working more & harder for less while Wall Street CEOs enjoy bigger bonuses than ever. 72% of Americans express loss of confidence in the American dream: if you work hard, you can achieve enough for your family.

What we saw today was orderly & neat. We heard a lot of conversation (some which sounded quite thoughtful). Some in the park seemed overwhelmed by all the attention they were getting. While Americans might not understand the “objectives” of Occupiers, 48% agree with the overall message – only 25% disagree (the rest don’t know).  Support crosses all demographics – seniors, young people, suburban, blue collar, and people living in rural areas.

We saw no anarchy, no neglect. The community is a model of what the occupiers and many of us want: a discussion of justice, governance and stewardship – attention to equality. We are talking about the sustainability of democracy.

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