Occupy Wall Street Ending?

In just one moment, Occupy Wall Street protesters went from being cozily hunkered down in their makeshift community at Zuccotti Park to being forcibly evacuated by NYC policemen clad in riot gear. The images spark flashbacks to the turbulent 1960s, and all sorts of questions on rights, freedoms, and ethics have come to the forefront of the American media because of this display.

Obviously the chief issue proponents of the Occupy camp are declaring is that their first amendment rights are being infringed upon by the New York City government. The First Amendment of the Bill of Rights guarantees Americans the freedom to religion, speech, press, to petition the government and—most importantly in this instance—to peaceably assemble.

The Occupiers have been assembled in Zuccotti Park for nearly two months now, living in tents while eating, sleeping and doing everything else on the private property designed for public use. The goal of their protest was to raise awareness of, and generate admonition towards, Wall Street’s more corrupt practices.

They have certainly accomplished that goal; one would be hard pressed to watch read or listen to main stream media and not hear about the movement. However, some unexpected consequences from their prolonged assembly arose which ultimately lead to their expulsion.

Now, despite the mistakes a few of the Occupiers made, the expelled are claiming their right to protest has been taken away. Many agree with this plea, but still many more agree with Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s poignant justification that the First Amendment guarantees the freedom to protest but not to set up tents and living quarters in public domains. Further justification was added when a judge ruled on essentially the same grounds.

So where does the Occupy Wall Street ensemble go from here? For now, they appear to be content with remaining in Zuccotti Park during waking hours. Additionally, a small yet vocal segment seems to favor a more violent path — posters and viral videos stating “Molotov Cocktails” and broken windows will be the next tool of OWS.

Certainly each of those options provides no real future for their operation. Indeed, if the Occupiers really want to be heard there is only one path they can go from here to let their voices be heard: the voting booth.

- Kit

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November 18th, 2011 | Mara | Comments Off |