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NYC Students Stage Walkouts in Solidarity with Occupy Wall Street
Inspired by Occupy Wall Street, students from around New York will walk out of their classes and march down to City Hall this afternoon. Once at City Hall, the students will join the larger Community/Labor March to Wall Street, which already has almost 3,000 people attending on Facebook.
Billions suffer as billionaires proliferate ... Occupy Wall Street protesters walk through New York's financial district on 24 September. Students from Columbia, The New School, and NYU have been organizing for the walkouts, scheduled at 3:30 p.m. (for Columbia) and 4 p.m. (for NYU and the New School), in time to get to the 4:30 march. In addition, students and teachers at CUNY and SUNY schools will be holding teach-ins prior to walking out. (Photograph: Tina Fineberg/AP)
A few months ago, New York Students Rising, a "statewide network of students and campus-organizations dedicated to defending public higher education and empowering students in New York State," according to its website, started organizing around budget cuts in the CUNY and SUNY systems and began to plan for a fall protest. Now, thanks to a chance scheduling overlap with Occupy Wall Street, it has morphed into a solidarity march, and other universities are joining in as well.
Students from Columbia, The New School, and NYU have been organizing for the walkouts, scheduled at 3:30 p.m. (for Columbia) and 4 p.m. (for NYU and the New School), in time to get to the 4:30 march. In addition, students and teachers at CUNY and SUNY schools will be holding teach-ins prior to walking out.
According to Joshua Frens-String, a Ph.D student in the history department at NYU and one of the organizers of NYU's student walkout, there are two main reasons why students feel so strongly about Occupy Wall Street: inequalities that directly affect them and a feeling that they lack real political representation.
Staging a walkout will have a "strong symbolic effect," according to Frens-String, but he says the idea came from purely practical considerations: The labor march begins at 4:30 and many people are still in school and at work at that time. Still, the act will not be completely devoid of meaning. "We're inspired by people giving up entire days occupying. The least we can do is give up a few hours," he explained.
Who knows if the walkouts will get any results, but they show that OWS is gaining support from more than just zombies.
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Show All"We're inspired by people giving up entire days occupying. The least we can do is give up a few hours,"
For this occupation to be effective, it must last as long as it takes--for an entire generation or longer. For we must be honest, this is just the start. And you can be certain that the Banksters and their politico allies will just wait for the enegry to wane, just as it did in Wisconsin. OWS needs to start planning its fall and winter campaign, when the weather gets nasty; for OWS will fail if it's only a fair weather protest, and its efforts will be for nought.
October 15 is already the next big uptick in global resistance. This does seem to be a "game changer" and we'll soon see how the media can spin this one--so far, their efforts to paint this as irrelevant have not been working. No doubt they can pull a thousand tricks and the budget for foiling this protest is virtually unlimited. Yet, for the moment, the protest seems to have the momentum of the first move. But, as in chess, the moves early on better be good, decisive, and quick. Machines learn quickly...
I went to http://occupywallst.org/ to see what more I could learn. They certainly seem to be preparing for the long haul judging from their needs and requests for donations. The biggest problem stems from compliance with NY city law regarding stuctures in public parks--to tents or anything that could be considered permanent--which will make the occupation difficult when the snows and sub-freezing weather arrives, and which they somehow must overcome for success to even be considered.
Why are so many CD posters attempting to bury a movement which is only now take its first screaming breaths of life?
Perhaps it is that they think this is just too good to last.....I agree with you this is only the beginning.....
Thomas Gilbert-
When we begin to see Ed, of the Ed Show, and Richart Trumka and his unions, there is a sense that the Democratic Party is making a shadowy attempt to "take over" and minimize the results of the movement just as they did in Wisconsin. Wisconsonites lost because they failed to call a general strike. I would encourage those participating in the Wall Street protests to minimize the participation of Democratic Party Elites in order to maintain the spirit of leaderless decentralized participation. Only then will the values of the people remain prescient.
To karlof1 with salut
Some will have to be fast sprinters but the vast majority of PEOPLE must transform into MARATHON runners, every living organism has a VIBRATION A RHYTHM, the word MOVEMENT says it ALL.
WE ARE MOVEMENT THE UNIVERSE IS MOVEMENT NOTHING STAYS THE SAME, not even a conservative, some don't know it yet, join us.
No terror no torture just truth
The real fall and winter answer is to diversify into so many cities, that enough will have passable weather to keep the nationwide movement well represented daily. NYC will also probably find a way, perhaps by setting up much shorter, rotating watches/shifts, and big short marches ...
No one can stop direct democracy!
The Paris Commune was defeated militarily; so, unfortunately, direct democracy can be defeated. The "people united" can be crushed unless they are better organized and think about all the possibilities. Dump old strategies, old ways of thinking. What worked in the past may not work now. Be very creative. The people of Egypt are still fighting for a real democracy despite their heroic sacrifices.
The holiday season is in progress October 31 to February 14th. Don't give in to the corporate greedfest; don't buy or buy into the crap regardless of how we have been programed to do so.
Strangle the corporate beast.
Distinguish between desire and need; consume only what is needed. Try it you'll like it.
We are stoning ourselves to death with pet rocks.
Terran
"We are stoning ourselves to death with pet rocks"
That just about sums it all up. But those new G4 pet rocks are so shiny...and we like shiny things...must have new shiny things...must work at shitty jobs for new shiny things...
"Don't give in to the corporate greedfest; don't buy or buy into the crap regardless of how we have been programed to do so."
Right on. True direct democracy.
"The people of Egypt are still fighting for a real democracy despite their heroic sacrifices."
Not everybody notices this especially since mainstream media only cover things like Egypt when the excitement is acute, very little follow up. This is true of every big catastrophe story -- how much coverage did New Orleans get a few months after Katrina? How much are we hearing about those middle east countries who did riot their way to regime change? How are the social arrangements doing in those countries? Are the rich still rich and in charge of things while the poor remain exploited? The public is not told and even those who try to research things on line have trouble finding out without spending hours at the keyboard.
The Establishment is counting on the demonstrations here losing steam and everybody going home -- at least once wintry weather kicks in. Will that happen? We'll see.
The LEFT Shall Rise Again!!
http://wearethe99percent.tumblr.com/rss
This is inspiring no matter how long it lasts or how effective. Praise to those who are out on the streets!
Am glad to see student activism. Students old enough to vote have a poor showing at the polls. My view is that if you don't vote then don't complain.
No astroturf Tea Party (funded by the Koch bros./endorsed by the media monopolies) bullshit this time!
We don't need no stinkin' corporate sponsors.
We already have what we need on our side:
The 99%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
dammit!
"We don't need no stinkin' corporate sponsors.
We already have what we need on our side"
Right! And you might add, We don't need no stinkin' Democratic Party".
What I have seen on TV is impressive. Tens of thousands marching through lower Manhattan. I hope that you have learned from the demonstrations in Egypt: do not believe or accept any promises or gestures of sympathy from the Obama administration if you are not in control of the governance of this nation yourself. You will be screwed. More: never attempt what the Tea Party has done with the GOP namely infiltrating the rotten Democratic party and become part of the rotten Washington establishment.
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I sincerely hope that this will become the birth of a new, vibrant political and social movement which will reduce the treatment in future textbooks of the American Revolution of the 18th Century to a one page commentary but without bloodshed. Yes, we have had enough Capitalism. Two hundred years is enough.
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With regards to the Tea Party, this seems to be once again city vs. countryside and small towns. That divergence can be bridged but not by letting TP take over your movement. Come to think of it, that seems to be utterly unlikely anyway. However, immediately isolate TP troublemakers and, if necessary, hand them over to the police!
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When will the counter-revolution begin? Or has it already started? Can you recognize the government infiltrators collecting information? Can you successfully neutralize them?
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Can you find wealthy supporters that will rent Madison Square Garden for political rallies? What other big places are there in NYC? Yankee Stadium after the baseball season is over! Occupy it!
This is great new in my opinion... When lots of students get involved in such matters, it often does have a positive impact.
It was actully student protests across the nation that helped to bring an end to the war in Vietnam,,, at least it had a major impact on political decisions in DC.. Let us all hope we don't have a Kent State type of a massacure however.
"The people want to change the regime!"
The change must also be INNER.
No terror no torture just truth
How will the protesters make through the Winter? I used to camp in a Jungle hammock. It also had a rain tarp over it. I imagine a very portable aluminum foldout umbrella hammock made up of two inverted Ys at each end and two ground level joining pipes. (No trees needed) Voila; but production time is short and $ are needed.
At times, form a circle in every sense of the word, on every level. it provides a temporary culture, warmth, shelter, food, protection, a CONVERSATION, & the strength to last. A small mini movement in every circle, BUT never forget the big one.
AIM for regeneration not degeneration that bit the CORPORATIONS&MIC ARE taking care of,
No terror no torture just truth
The DECENTRALIZED nature of the movement is essential to it's success. Each person a participant bringing his or her ideas to the table. From that FLUID VISIONS will emerge as the majority of people adopt the vision. The vision will become lifelike and change as needed. The leaderless vision gains strength because it is NOT represented by a LEADER but instead rests in the hearts of the people. With no SINGLE LEADER, the head cannot be decapitated ending the movement. The media does not understand this DECENTRALIZED change model and therefore cannot comprehend it's purposes. Media types will attempt to use propaganda and disinformation to eliminate what they do not understand. They will fail and look increasingly foolish as the movement grows.
Leadership like Apache "nantan".
Good take on this moment in "Starfish and Spider"---also opposing strategy/tactics.
THE HUMAN UNION---HU ARE YOU. <<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Membership---Everybody is already in it. Call your Chamber of Commerce to opt out.
Rejoin at any time.
Dues---Pay it forward with solidarity, common sense and good will.
Leadership---Apache nantan, talk it up, see what happens.
Tactics---Peaceful, Speaking Truth to Power, Resist, Occupy, Produce.
Goals---Fair pay, Fair play, Justice under the Law, Benefits to the Seventh
Generation. No War.
One Planet, One People.
IF NOT NOW---WHEN? <<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
CORP IS BORG.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Do we need a symbol?? If so, I humbly suggest the base of the pyramid on the Great Seal---Just the bare base...no toppy eyed cap, just blue sky.
It's ours...might as well use it.
...and it's already green!
Say no to the economic royalists! Can't we hear Franklin D Roosevelt from the grave?
Say no to the economic royalists! Can't we hear Franklin D Roosevelt from the grave?
In order to reduce corporate influence and shrink it down to a size that could be drowned in a bathtub...it may be helpful to consider ways of organizing our thoughts. To that end please enter <<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>
THE HUMAN UNION---HU ARE YOU. <<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Membership---Everybody is already in it. Call your Chamber of Commerce to opt out.
Rejoin at any time.
Dues---Pay it forward with solidarity, common sense and good will.
Leadership---Apache nantan, talk it up, see what happens.
Tactics---Peaceful, Speaking Truth to Power, Resist, Occupy, Produce.
Goals---Fair pay, Fair play, Justice under the Law, Benefits to the Seventh Generation. No War.
One Planet, One People.
IF NOT NOW---WHEN?
CORP IS BORG. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Do we need a symbol?? If so, I humbly suggest the base of the pyramid on the Great Seal---Just the bare base...no toppy eyed cap, just blue sky.
It's ours...might as well use it.