DePaul University - Front Page Article!

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http://www.depauliaonline.com/.....om9-2WxA1c

 

 

Sam Abrahamson stood in front of the Federal Reserve Bank on Sept. 28 holding a sign that read, "The banks robbed us blind."

Abrahamson, a senior majoring in advertising, is one of several students to join Occupy Chicago, a movement in solidarity with the protest in New York, dubbed "Occupy Wall Street." Protests in Chicago began on Sept. 24 and have since continued around-the-clock.

While several DePaul students were involved, many were unaware of each other's involvement.

"It is all very individually based," John Anderson, a senior and peace studies and social justice major, said while passing out fliers in the SAC. "The whole movement has no centralized organization to it, there is no centralized leadership or recruitment efforts."

Max Farrar, a senior, has been protesting around his school schedule as well as during the "graveyard shift," he said. Farrar said Chicago police have been "surprisingly supportive."

"All of these people have come together despite various issues that they care about," Farrar said. "They recognize that what they care about can better be addressed if we first address the crisis of American democracy and the crisis of big money in the American government."

Anderson said that when he handed out fliers on DePaul's Lincoln Park campus, "there was definitely a general interest." Anderson said many people asked questions about who was organizing Occupy Chicago and what Anonymous is.

The protests have spread to cities across the country as well as overseas in London and Germany.

White said the anti-corporation sentiment was a big part of networking the idea for the Occupy movements. They hope to "topple the existing power structure."

"Corporations have been growing in power for 200 years," he said. "You have these corporations who are allowed to give unlimited money to political candidates."

He also said it has the potential to drastically affect the country.

"We're trying to basically change the way information flows in our society," White said. "We wanted to spark a rejuvenation of people's democracy."

However, he said that these movements are strictly up to the people.

"At the end of the day, this isn't a movement we're trying to control," he said. "It's a movement we're trying to encourage."

Andrew Mongenas, an Occupy Chicago participant, described the movement as "the seed that needs to get planted in order to make some sort of change."

"It's basically about stopping corporations from abusing the political system," he said.

Mongenas sympathizes with those who don't have the means to organize in this manner, but share the group's beliefs.

"There are so many people out there who feel the same way we do," he said. "There are people who can't get here and do this."

"I'm not a particularly political person," he said. "I'm more just an angry pedestrian. It's about time this happened."

Emilio Baez, who is also involved in the movement, said he feels a sense of duty.

"What is happening now is truly historic," Baez said. "We are in an economic crisis; the capitalist system is breaking down. It is vitally necessary to lead by example."

He said he also believes the economy needs to be altered in a way that is beneficial Americans socially and emotionally as well as logistically.

For the most part, Occupy Chicago has been received well on the streets, protestors say. Baez mentioned taxi drivers and citizens driving by and honking in support. However, they say their relationship with the Chicago police has been up and down.

"The cops have been friendly," he said. "But when push comes to shove, they're going to do their jobs."

Baez said the group marched to Millennium Park on Sept. 27, and officers tried to throw them out. Additionally, they prohibited the protesters from setting up tents outside the bank.

"They have perpetually lied to us," Baez said.

Despite the friction, Occupy Chicago isn't going anywhere anytime soon. According to Mongenas, nothing is definitive, and they won't stop pursuing the issue "until there's notice taken."