Demonstrators are marching on Wall Street today on the third day of a campaign dubbed “Occupy Wall Street,” which began on Saturday when thousands gathered in New York City’s Financial District. Inspired by the massive public protests in Cairo’s Tahrir Square and Madrid’s Puerta del Sol Square, hundreds have slept outside near Wall Street for the past two nights. We play a video report on the protest by Democracy Now!’s Sam Alcoff and get a live update from the streets from Nathan Schneider, editor of the blog “Waging Nonviolence.” We also speak with David Graeber, an anthropologist who participated in the activities. “If you look at who showed up [in Egypt and Spain], it was mostly young people, and most of them were people who had gone through the educational system who were deeply in debt and who found it completely impossible to find jobs,” says Graeber. “The system has completely failed them … If there’s going to be any kind of society worth living in, we’re going to have to create it ourselves.”
Speaking against the authoritarian crackdown
In the midst of a nationwide attack on civil liberties, Truthout urgently needs your help.
Journalism is a critical tool in the fight against Trump and his extremist agenda. The right wing knows this — that’s why they’ve taken over many legacy media publications.
But we won’t let truth be replaced by propaganda. As the Trump administration works to silence dissent, please support nonprofit independent journalism. Truthout is almost entirely funded by individual giving, so a one-time or monthly donation goes a long way. Click below to sustain our work.