Occupy Detroit Gains Momentum, Occupy Ferndale Date Set
(Crystal A. Proxmire, 10/11/2011)
As the Occupy Wall Street protests continue to grow, movements are springing up all over the country including Occupy Detroit and Occupy Ferndale.
The masses who have been camping out on Wall Street have expressed frustration with things like increasing poverty, corporate influence in politics and the media, lack of affordable basic health care, the whittling away of education funding, predatory lending practices by banks, credit card, mortgage and student loan companies, ongoing wars, and general dissatisfaction with the disconnect between the haves and the have-nots. The common story told by protestors and supporters is how each falls into the 99% of the population that does not share in the majority of the nation’s wealth.
Occupy Wall Street began September 17 with an encampment of protesters affiliated with AdBusters, a watchdog organization (with a magazine) that exposes how media is used by those with power and money to influence readers. “We are a global network of culture jammers and creatives working to change the way information flows, the way corporations wield power, and the way meaning is produced in our society,” says their website.
The movement is now national. Those interested in joining the Detroit group can find the most up to date information on the Occupy Detroit Facebook Page.
The Occupy Ferndale group has announced that it will meet on the corner of 9 Mile and Woodward on Friday, October 28, 2011 from 4pm-7pm. County Commissioner Craig Covey is among those organizing Occupy Ferndale, and he says “I am going to suggest Ferndale send car loads down to Detroit this Friday for their first rally. Detroit should go first.” The most current information about Occupy Ferndale can be found at their Facebook Event Page.
AJs Music Cafe is also planning an “Occupy” event. Occupy AJs will be the kickoff to the annual record-breaking concert attempt at the cafe. The kick off will be November 4. More information can be found on Facebook.
Steve Furay, founder of Common Breath Media has been following the growth of Occupy Detroit. His video from the first organizational meeting for the march shows some of spirit behind the movement, and gives more information about the group’s plans.
Organizers have stressed the importance of a peaceful march. Protestors should not verbally or physically confront police or others. Mass arrests have occurred at the Wall Street event and in Boston.
For more information about remaining safe during a public demonstration and ways you can get involved with a group that helps to make sure protests remain civil, check out our previous article on Legal Observer Training.
[note: this story has been updated from it’s original version to clarify the 99% statistic. This Wikepedia entry explains distribution of wealth, and some of the ways of looking at the data.]