We have all seen the ‘We Are the 99%’ quote all over the news and media, but many are still left wondering, what exactly is the Occupy Boston movement?
Branching off from the Occupy Wall Streetmovement in New York, thousands of people gathered in Dewey Square to help support the hope for reform and removal of the special interest in the government. However, there is no SINGLE issue or demand that is used to describe the movement; it is an overall reaction to how the country is being run.
Thousands of Americans camped in Dewey Square in order to help raise the awareness of the current problems in today’s economy. In addition to that, they are fighting for the political problems that are faced EVERY SINGLE DAY in the United States.
What does the 99% technically mean? It refers to the 99 percent of people that are being controlled by the top ONE PERCENT of Americans. The 99 percent are fighting to speak up and raise awareness of the economic and political issues in today’s society.
‘How does this affect me?’you may ask. The saying “We are the Future” sums it up really well. If we want something changed about our society, it is up to us, as a part of a democracy, to make sure that we take action to bring about change that we want to see happen.
Occupy Boston is an attempt at direct democracy, in which people collectively make decisions for themselves, rather than have government policies made by their representatives. While about a hundred were arrested for the protesting, overall it is considered legal by the federal government and the first amendment’s freedom of speech. The instances where individuals were arrested involved unlawful assembly. These people were given an ultimatum by the police, but failed to cooperate.
While many of the people involved were workers demanding equality, a high number of those assembled included college students. This proves that anyone is able to speak their mind and fight for what they believe in. The protesters involved in Occupy Bostonwere fighting for the equality they believed they deserved as citizens of the United States.
Although some individuals believed that the government is against them, Mayor Thomas Menino mentioned his thoughts and support on Twitter, expressing his sympathy to the movement:
“We all want to fight for the middle class. Still, [we] need to respect all our residents and make sure the city runs smoothly.”
The Occupy Boston movement, inspired by Occupy Wall Street, has been noted as one of the biggest rallies in a movement. It just goes to show that in a democracy, such as ours, when the people want change, they will make change.