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              Occupy Turning One With Demands, No Specific Program

   by Peter Fedynsky

   September 17 marks one year since the "Occupy Wall Street" movement
   emerged in New York City - with a long series of demands, but no
   specific program to realize any of them.

   When the Occupy Movement took over Zuccotti Park, near Wall Street,
   near-by residents  protested the prolonged drumming from the encampment
   as "unbearable noise."  A drummer rejected the neighbors' protest,
   saying, "We are here to support a movement!  Drumming helps that
   movement!"

   The movement spread throughout the world, but there has been no
   revolution.   Though Occupy protests saved a few homes from
   foreclosure, they have not achieved any of the demands as disparate as
   the participants themselves -- including tighter regulation of banking,
   campaign finance reform, a cleaner environment, or freedom for Tibet.

   Nonetheless, Columbia University sociology professor Todd Gitlin says
   the movement's message about a greedy elite, allegedly at the root of
   many global problems, has entered the language. "One will use the term
   `one percent' and `99 percent' and most of America knows what you're
   talking about.  You'll find it now in common usage in newspaper
   articles that have nothing to do with Occupy itself," he said.

   Within months, police nationwide dispersed Occupy protesters from
   public areas.  Today, the movement's daily physical presence consists
   of a few volunteers engaging passersby at a park or sidewalk.  Justin
   Stone-Diaz has been with Occupy since its first day.  He says small
   changes are key. "The revolution is the technology that's in everyone's
   pockets - the cell phones, the information age.  What Occupy Wall
   Street at its core is, we're trying to foster a paradigm shift towards
   a more direct democracy," he said.

   Stone-Diaz says Occupy protesters now spread their messages
   electronically.  When needed, larger groups converge as they did at the
   recent conventions of both major U.S. political parties.

   Sociologist Todd Gitlin says polls indicate that Americans support
   Occupy causes more than the movement itself. "When people are asked how
   they feel about such measures as progressive taxation, driving money
   out of politics - sort of the implicit thrust, the unstated demands,
   let's say, of a demand-less movement - those causes remain popular," he
   said.

   Today, Zuccotti Park is again just a place to eat and relax.  Whether
   drummers made enough noise there last year to bring their causes to
   fruition remains to be seen.  Justin Stone-Diaz is optimistic, saying
   Occupy continues to encourage direct action through dialogue.
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   ecific-program/1506591.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/occupy-turning-one-with-demands-no-specific-program/1506591.html