Occupy Wall Street

Occupiers on Wall Street

The Scruffy Slacker Hippies Who Could

(Note: Some of this article appeared in an earlier article, titled Organizing the Occupation: Wall Street, Post Megamarch.)

What a difference a week makes. The weather was unseasonably mild on Friday afternoon, and as The New York Observer strolled around Zuccotti Park, the atmosphere still had the feel of a Ren Faire that had wandered into the wrong neighborhood. But there was definitely something different in the vibe over at Occupy Wall Street H.Q. Since the unions called out the troops last Wednesday, marching in solidarity with the protesters, the demo has skewed older—for instance, a pair of women standing in the front of the park looked as though they’d qualify for discount movie tickets. They held signs that read “Pissed off Grey Hairs say ‘Jail the Wall Street Bastards.’” Read More

Occupy Wall Street

"Is this thing on?"

Organizing the Occupation: Wall Street, Post Megamarch

It’s a beautiful Friday, and Zuccotti Park looks… different. Sure, there are the protesters we’ve come to know and expect, and the media is still there, full force. But something seems off.

“A lot of people are unhappy that the Libertarians are joining up,” one General Assembly member told us on the condition of anonymity, “and there are some Tea Party people here too.”

Well… right. Isn’t that what Occupy Wall Street is all about? Giving everyone a voice? Not having a distinct list of demands or qualifications besides a general sense of anger at Big Banks and government bailouts?

Not anymore. This is what Democracy now looks like: Anarchy at war with its own internal organization. Read More

Occupy Wall Street

50 Photos

Julie Finch, “Just turned 70,” Actress

50 Portraits From the Occupy Wall Street Megamarch

Yesterday afternoon it was sunny and warm. By this point, we almost knew the way to Zuccotti Park by heart. But the huge Megamarch planned for Wednesday didn’t start in the recently renamed Liberty Plaza: it began (for us at least) at Foley Square, right across from the steps where they filmed Law & Order. In the tiny park, union workers and students streamed in from either side of Worth Street and Broadway; history in the making. Their numbers were in the thousands. It was epic. Read More