Subject: Fwd: Down on Wall Street
I got this message from a person who was in my first grade class and now she's a good friend. I am quite excited about what is happening on Wall Street and around the country, something she expresses in this email.
At last, there are those in our citizenry who are actually starting a movement that can work. If enough people follow this lead, it is possible for a turn-around. The only thing that will bring about a change in Wall Street power and greed and government control, is when enough people say, "enough".Loeva
Dear All,
This Wednesday a march will start at City Hall, made up of supporters of many different groups, all united in taking a stand and coming together to send a powerful message to Wall Street and our government. I feel that it is really important to participate in sending the message -- there are people who are being directly impacted by the extreme imbalance of how wealth is being divided in our country. Small businesses are struggling with no help available -- I am sure you all know people who are being hit as much as I do. These are people who want to work and try keep their businesses afloat, who pay their taxes yet get none of the big business breaks, and who are being directly impacted by the economic slow-down. Meanwhile the hedge fund brokers, investment banks, and corporations, along with the top one percent of wealthiest Americans, are getting breaks left and right... and their wealth is multiplying exponentially, and in the case of hedge funds, from the little I can understand, all too often at the expense of the losses of others.... now even other nations and currencies are being used for this money making game... And these bankers and brokers look at it all as numbers on paper. I think it is important that we take a stand as the middle class population that is trying to survive, trying to pay for our kids to be educated so that they have futures that will enable them to support themselves and even their families -- there are living beings who are being completely overlooked as the pen and paper approach works out how to make profits for a rarefied clientele. So I will go down. Definitely at least once. No excuse to feel the way I do and not make the effort. I urge you all to consider joining this march -- there is power in numbers. I have forwarded the email below because it seems to have the best information, but you can go down on your own or with any other group you are affiliated with.
Hope to see you there!Veronique
Subject: Down on Wall Street
Over the past two weeks, we’ve seen something unusual and promising: a gathering of people -- mostly young -- who are protesting the corporate power and coarse inequality that characterizes our society and economy. For two weeks, these inspired and inspiring young people, under the banner of Occupy Wall Street, have occupied our attention and camped out in Liberty Plaza. WFP staff have brought back exciting reports from a demonstration that gets more interesting every day. We stand with them in their call for a more just and equitable society. It’s time to do more than just stand with these protesters. It’s time to walk with them. This Wednesday, October 5, we will join with allies in labor and community and environmental and on-line groups, tenants and homeowners, workers and free-lancers, musicians and teachers and subway riders and students and anyone else who is sick and tired of the “greed is good” mentality that is destroying our country. We will join the protesters for a Solidarity March. Starting in front of City Hall at 4:30 pm, we’ll march down Wall Street to support the protesters and show the world that the spirit of Wisconsin and Tahrir Square is alive and well in New York City. We owe the Occupy Wall Street folks a debt (and we don’t mean a collateralized debt-swap). They have put their bodies on the line, in the rain and the cold, night after night to say: Enough is Enough. As the demonstrators settle in for the long haul, they need all kinds of support. Most important is showing up. But if you can't come out for Wednesday's march or any other events, you can help in other ways. They need some basic supplies to continue their occupation: sleeping bags, food donations, and simple sanitation supplies like garbage bags. Executive Director, WFP P.S. - If you’re not in New York, you can find other events across the country at the Occupy Together website: http://www.occupytogether.org/ |
We need many more demonstrations in many places. Also, however, in order to make change, the "protesters" have to have concrete demands. Change has come when the outcry is simple, e.g., "End the war," or "Mubarak must go." "Stop the greed" is too abstract. Somebody has to lead with an overarching but easily understood demand.
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