You probably know about Occupy Wall Street, a movement to protest against corporate greed, to “eat the rich,” and take down Wall Street. You might even know that the movement has gone viral, with over 100 Facebook support groups and thousands flocking to city streets to protest….what?
That seems to be the big question. Today in D.C., protestors thronged squares and courtyards, protesting on three different issues:
1. Occupy D.C.
One protester from Madison, Wisconsin told The Examiner that “Occupy D.C. is about taking social issues to the public. It is showing the world we care about interconnectedness of the environment.”
James Devoe, who hitchhiked from Indiana to protest, also spoke to The Examiner:
Examiner: What is Occupy D.C. accomplishing?
Devoe: “If nothing else, they’ll see us and they will hear upon way or another.
Examiner: Who?
Devoe: “The government and corporations”
Examiner: Is Obama doing anything to help?”
Devoe: “No.”
2. October 2011
This month marks the 10th anniversary of the invasion of Afghanistan, and many people are fed up with Obama for not pulling the troops out. Brian Pelzek, a protester from Chicago, told the Washington Examiner that he opposes the war simply because he sees it as a war of aggression. “We can fight wars of defense, like defending our Mexico border,” Pelzek told the Examiner, but never a war of agression.
In the video, the third speaker mentions this protest, saying that Occupy D.C., October 2011, and the pipeline protest are all interconnected.
3. The pipeline protest
Environmentalists were protesting the pipeline that would stretch from Canada to Texas, carrying oil extracted from tar-filled sands. Protesters had erected an inflated replica of the earth, and some were holding signs telling Obama to stop the pipeline. Everyone had their own reason against the pipeline. A farmer from Ohio said that oil leaks would spoil farmland. Another protester said it would take land away from indigenous people. Still another said the tar sands extraction process is dirty, and that we need to stop using oil, as “it is not good for the planet.
The second speaker in the video told the Washington Examiner, “We want to tell Obama to do something. He can make it happen.”
