Yesterday, February 28th, people gathered at Union Square in New York to protest the brutal suppression of the Occupy Wall Street movement which spread all over the country. Nationally coordinated police raids were carried out in the dark of night, injuring peaceful protestors and destroying their personal property, as well as the People’s Library at the New York occupation. The only violence done was by the police.
A group of people in New York, both within the Occupy movement and from those like me in the community who have been inspired by it and supported it, formed an Ad Hoc Committee Against the Suppression of the Occupy Movement and planned the rally and march.
Unless otherwise noted, all the photographs below were made by Scoboco.
One of the people at Union Square for the rally expressing the view of many present
People listening intently to those on stage
At this event, a little different from many, there were in Acts 1 and 2 of this rally drama, occupiers on ladders in the crowd showing in words what it was like to experience the eviction and something of the nature of what the occupation movement actually did.
Occupier Desiree above the heads of the crowd on a ladder telling her story about the eviction
Attorney Margaret Ratner Kunstler, who has been arrested for doing so, spoke about taking the movement to Black and Latino neighborhoods. Signs from the stage said things like “They stole our shit!” and “They were violent, but we got arrested!”
In Act 3, about the effects of the Suppession of OWS, attorney Norman Siegel, who is bringing a lawsuit against the city for the destruction of the People’s Library in the eviction, was one of the speakers. Professor Andrew Ross from NYU, part of Occupy Student Debt, addressed that issue, which affects many of our young people
Peter Yarrow of Peter Paul and Mary with his daughter Bethany sang a special version of The Great Mandala at the end of Act 3. He had also performed a set of songs including Have You Been to Jail for Justice as people gathered on the Square beginning at 4pm
Act 4 was where Voices of Conscience, several prominent people from different arenas, spoke about why Occupy is important and called us to act to resist the suppression of it. Susan Sarandon, who has been arrested with the occupiers, was one who has herself acted courageously. Andy Zee spokesperson for Revolution Books also spoke in this section.
Noam Chomsky could not be present, but sent a video that was screened in Act 4, photograph unattributed
Rev. Steven Phelps, senior minister of the Riverside Church, concluded the spoken part of Act 4. Then, Outernational, the musical group that had also done a set before the rally began, played their rousing Fighting Song. Part of the lyrics were Go! Go! Go! encouraging us to go on the march.
Outernational (photograph unattributed)
Travis Morales, who was one of the two Narrators with Alice Woodward, then called us to march to Liberty Square behind the huge puppet of Lady Liberty.
Lady Liberty
NYPD out in force.
What are the corporate masters afraid of from a group of peaceful, if noisy, protestors? Why did the NYPD don riot gear and evict them from Liberty Plaza last year in a raid coordinated with similar ones across the country? Why were they present in the hundreds at this rally and march of completely peaceful people? The only answer is that the ruling corporate elites of this country do not want change, do not care about the inequality, and are willing to pay for violent suppression of it.
Fortunately, persons like Peter Yarrow on stage and at the head of the march may have helped temper the response to this protest event. We all arrived at Liberty Square, where we chanted “Whose park? Our park?” We have made a beginning of a response to the suppression of OWS. We need to keep moving forward to support this movement.
No War No Torture 