A little over a month ago, more than 2,000 people united at what is now being called “Liberty Square” in New York City, New York, to pressure politicians, corporations and institutions, to examine the nation’s wealth disparities, unemployment and poverty rates. “We are the 99 percent,” is the slogan the protestors are using to set themselves in opposition to the one percent of citizens who control the majority of the nation’s wealth. It is a catchphrase that resonated around the world, and has inspired thousands to come together to ignite change.
Occupytogether.org has helped create a forum for debating issues, organizing local protests, setting goals and procedures for proper political protesting. As of Oct. 18, 15,731 occupiers in 1,982 cities across 82 countries have joined forces with occupytogether.org meetup.com/occupy which begun hosting the networking site meetup.com/occupy to enable protesters to organize events together.
Of course, this is only a partial representation of the actual number of protesters for the movement because it includes only those who have registered with the website.
Nineteen Oregon cities have registered, including Eugene. Locally, the “Occupy Eugene” movement has also created a website, Occupyeugenemedia.org, that provides details on daily events and meetings, as well as a discussion forum and PDF’s of flyers for people to post among other things.
In the beginning, protesters were labeled everything from “Lunatic Liberals,” to defunct deadbeats, to tyrannical Tea Party members, but the real issue was that the group lacked a unified voice.
Public sentiment seems to be changing. A New York Times poll of 1,068 registered voters showed that 58 percent of Republicans said they disagreed with the protesters’ views, while 73 percent of Republicans supported their right to protest. Democrats voiced support with 81 percent in favor of the protestors.
The New York Times also reported that “Respondents who support the movement are frustrated by income inequality, eroding standards of living and corporate greed,” based on a collection of testimonies collected in coordination with Public Insight Network from American Public Media.
Organizers are doing a better job holding polite protests and clarifying their demands. They’re avoiding the riots that would create public enemies and discourage local business.
In Eugene, for example, protesters agreed to move their encampment from the Park Blocks, so that the Saturday Market and Farmer’s Market vendors could set up and do business.
In 1980, according to the AFL-CIO, a union, CEOs at the largest U.S. companies made 42 times that of the average U.S. worker. By 2010, the gap grew to 343 times what the average U.S. worker earned.
Here are some sobering statistics from the September 2011 U.S. Census Bureau report,“Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2010.”
•The number of people in poverty in 2010 (46.2 million) is the largest number in the 52 years for which poverty estimates have been published
• In 2010 Households with family-members, aged 15 to 24, had the largest income decline (9.3 percent), followed by households with family-members aged 45 to 54 (4.3 percent)
• The official poverty rate in 2010 was 15.1 percent—up from 14.3 percent in 2009.This was the third consecutive annual increase in the poverty rate.
The U.S. Census Bureau statistics on Oregon and the Eugene area reflect similar issues.
•The percentage of people of all ages in poverty between 2005 and 2009 was 13.6 percent for Oregon, and was significantly higher in Eugene, at 20.9 percent.
•The median household income for Oregon was $49,033 while the Eugene total was only $40,090.
With the indication of economic inequality alarmingly evident, it is impossible to continue to ignore the issue. Protestors were pushed to the streets by a lack of protection by the government, against unregulated purveyors in the private sector, whose greedy agendas greatly impact the people.
It’s got to stop — whether it’s banks and insurance agencies being bailed out for investing money in toxic loans; big businesses being given huge tax breaks; deep-pocket donors vying for control of our politicians; or companies contributing to our unemployment rate by outsourcing to cheap foreign labor while still charging ever-inflating prices on their products. It’s got to stop.
Our nation cannot thrive under these conditions. According to social scientists, economic disparities have been linked with health risks, increased rates of violent crimes, declining social mobility, decreased marginal utility, inflation and the devaluation of the dollar.
As members of the press, we always promote people to speak out and exercise their first amendment rights. We hope protesters continue to make themselves seen, and their voices heard and that their efforts do not go unrecognized.
It seems fitting to finish this with a quote from Samuel Adams, one of our nation’s founding fathers:
“If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in peace. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains set lightly upon you; and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.”
2 comments
Editorial: Occupy Eugene movement learns from the mistakes of others – The Torch | OccupyOpinion says:
Oct 23, 2011
[...] Editorial: Occupy Eugene movement learns from the mistakes of othersThe TorchLocally, the “Occupy Eugene” movement has also created a website, Occupyeugenemedia.org, that provides details on daily events and meetings, as well as a discussion forum and PDF's of flyers for people to post among other things. …and more » [...]
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Apr 19, 2012
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