They call
themselves “Occupy Wall Street,” and no one should be confused about their
numbers swelling and their protests expanding to more and more cities outside
of New York City.
Their aim
is not at a particular location, to be sure. They are aiming instead at a
mindset that is represented by the kinds of business that takes place on Wall
Street, or whatever street in any city where corporate profits come ahead of
the greater good.
Again, it
is not just a mindset on Wall Street, but it is also a mindset on Capitol Hill,
or in Springfield, or at City Hall that turns a blind eye to suffering, that
shreds safety nets so that “job creators” can feel comfortable enough to invest
their over-the-top earnings in jobs, rather than just continue to sit on their
largesse.
Make no
mistake, the protests are growing, and even though there are critics who say
the “occupiers” have an unclear agenda, it is that lack of a concrete agenda
that is promoting protestors’ growth. What the protestors know for sure is that
the unfairness in this country - economic, judicial, educational - must be
addressed, and it can only be addressed if it is exposed and protested.
In
Chicago, the Occupy Wall Street protestors joined with the “Take Back Chicago”
protests, recognizing that their aims were similar, that cutting funding to
schools while increasing funding for prisons made no sense. They could
understand a protest against corporate tax breaks for local businesses in the
form of Tax Increment Financing, while agencies to help people avoid
foreclosures on their homes go unfunded.
We’re
happy to see thousands come out in protest, representing several organizations
- including unions, social service agencies and community activists. We’re
happy that finally, grudgingly, several entities in the community have
recognized that if they do not unite, do not work together, their
constituencies will be pushed further into the margins and never get to say
their piece.
The
numbers, though disruptive, did not reach the level that signals a tide
rolling. But it was a start, and it raised awareness for other organizations
that there is a place for protest, there is a voice they can use. Whether the
aim is to exhort Congress to pass President Barack Obama’s jobs bill, or to
make sure state pensions are properly funded, or complain about banks raising
fees while their customers are jobless, we have to speak up. Perhaps an even
greater number can come out, with even louder voices, to talk about the
unchecked violence that ravages too many of our neighborhoods, or the levels of
poverty that are hidden from view - until a national report shines a light on
our horrible secret.
Again,
this is a start. There are many other issues that deserve to be highlighted,
and we need to pressure those in positions of authority to come up with
solutions to those issues. The protests must lead to plans, and the plans lead
to action. If those plans are met with inaction, then those in positions of
authority can be removed.
What the
gathering downtown, buoyed by the Occupy Wall Street protestors, showed is that
Chicago is not asleep, and that the people can be roused to – if not take back
Chicago – at least endeavor to make sure no more of Chicago gets taken.
