Occupy Wall Street - Two Views
Last night I mingled in a sea of irony. On my way to a party hosted by the HGTV show Selling New York, I stopped by Zuccotti Park where a mellow but resolute mood of the Wall Street protesters prevailed. Armed with buckets and brooms, a major clean-up progressed despite the foggy evening light. The park, without a blade of grass, hummed with animated talk, laughter and the electricity of hope. Homemade signs echoed their thoughts and beliefs. Dressed for a party, I didn't look like I fit in, but I felt no judgement as I wended my way to a multi-million dollar condo brightly lit for the camera crew and animated with talk of a different sort. Wine glass and sushi in hand, my jaw dropped at the view from the 15th floor to a world away: Zuccotti Park.
With a bitter taste in my mouth, I left the party and found myself back at the park. Who needs scripted reality television with superficial excess when grassroots reality is more satisfying? I only wish I'd grabbed a box of Maison du Chocolate macarons on my way out to share the protesters.
These are my images from Zuccotti Park.
Brooms and flags dotted the park.
Suits mixed with blue jeans.
The only light came from neighboring buildings.
Zuccotti Park is one block from the World Trade Center site.
Anarchists set up shop and handed out pamphlets.
Photographers documented the scene.
Professional coaching was available for an evolving movement.
Freedom of speech in action.
The next protest is Saturday, October 15 at Tompkins Square Park.
The movement is growing worldwide. Over 200 authors, writers and editors have signed this petition occupywriters.com in support of Occupy Wall Street.
My epiphany came in a kitchen (large enough to cook for an army) where I overheard one agent say, "This will have to be gutted." The other agent laughed, "Yes, even though none of our clients cook."
With a bitter taste in my mouth, I left the party and found myself back at the park. Who needs scripted reality television with superficial excess when grassroots reality is more satisfying? I only wish I'd grabbed a box of Maison du Chocolate macarons on my way out to share the protesters.
These are my images from Zuccotti Park.
Brooms and flags dotted the park.
Suits mixed with blue jeans.
The only light came from neighboring buildings.
Zuccotti Park is one block from the World Trade Center site.
Anarchists set up shop and handed out pamphlets.
Photographers documented the scene.
Professional coaching was available for an evolving movement.
Freedom of speech in action.
The next protest is Saturday, October 15 at Tompkins Square Park.
The movement is growing worldwide. Over 200 authors, writers and editors have signed this petition occupywriters.com in support of Occupy Wall Street.
Posted by Layla Morgan Wilde at 10/14/2011 3:40 PM 
Categories: Media, Politics, Sign of the Times, Photography, New York, Baby Boomers, A Room With A View, Food, Film
Tags: occupy wall street-protest anarchists-Zuccotti park occupy wall street-zuccotti park HGTV-Selling New York occupywriters.com
Categories: Media, Politics, Sign of the Times, Photography, New York, Baby Boomers, A Room With A View, Food, Film
Tags: occupy wall street-protest anarchists-Zuccotti park occupy wall street-zuccotti park HGTV-Selling New York occupywriters.com
Thanks for sharing your experience! It's not just a news story--this is reality.
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Powerful images.
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I wish there was a "Love, Admire and Respect" button to click instead of just "Like". I admit that I would "fit in" a lot better in the park than in the condo, too. But, then, I have two feet firmly planted in REALITY (and NOT the "scripted kind".)
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Wonderful post, Layla. I completely agree with your perceptions of the night.
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Thought you might <3
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I would be on the front lines of this action except that the corporations have defeated me!
Due to the toxins in most synthetically fragranced products (and many that claim to be unscented contain "masking fragrance", many people are unable to tolerate the fumes that remain on conventionally laundered clothes, dry cleaned articles and personal care products (includes shampoo, soap, deodorants, etc)
So because the legally protected corporate formulations, some that are not even required to have listed ingredients (proprietary info I have been told) I am unable to participate in any crowded public forum without great pain, difficulty breathing, dizziness and a flu-like feeling that persists days after exposure.
Thank you for your inspiring viewpoint. I only wish I could be there with the demonstrators. I was on the front lines of protests back in the 70's and miss the camaraderie, sense of purpose and YOU: PEOPLE, I wish other people and, yes, your own health, were more important to you than your laundry smelling like some chemist thinks it should.
See you online, 'cuz that is the only forum I can currently attend. And, yes, I have seen an authority on MCS (multiple chemical sensitivity) at UofM medical center and there is NO cure and NO current treatment.
Sorry for rambling on: I have a voice and this is the main issue that I find corporations have damaged me through their greedy inhuman callousness.
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Lucia, thank-you for sharing an unexpected and valuable view.
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Isn't it fascinating, Layla, that these two worlds, like unparallel dimensions, exist so close together, side by side. The one on the ground so much closer to real life that that other so high up in the clouds.
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Ironically, the guests at the party think their lives are real, and for them it is.
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I love these photos !
Jarring the differences between the haves and the have nots. And to think that some nut jobs are trying to get rid of taxation. Taxation is everybody chipping in for the common good, which is socialism. Before taxation, people died of exposure to the elements and starvation and disease. Roosevelts and Fords and Rockefellers and Carnegies didn't, but many did. My g-grandfathers were lucky because they raised sheep, so they always had food and they always had a warm home, but city living was much tougher. The ME generation that Tom Wolfe coined is so much worse than it ever was. And it was bad enough then. If everybody traded places, even for a day, from whatever situation they are in, to trade with the opposite, they'd be a changed person. We need a new movie 'Trading Places'.
Neither of us was around in the 30s, but I remember in the late 70s the discussions here about comparisions - unemployment rate etc that took until 83 and 84 to resolve, but now it is truly a NEW GREAT DEPRESSION. And it won't go away quickly.
Fasten your seat belts, the bumpy ride will continue for several more years, maybe until 2020. The structural issue is huge and we need MANY more people to buy our goods to bolster our economy. MORE FREE TRADE agreements. Let's ask our friends Poland, Brazil, Argentina. The NAFTA bolstered our economy hugely in the 90s. Many goods I bought in 2000 were lower in price than in the early 70s. Home goods, curtains and such. 10 bucks a panel in 1970. 10 bucks in 2000. Except that the 10 bucks in 2000 was really like 2 bucks, and not the very expensive 10 bucks in 1970.
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The gap between the "haves" and the "have nots" is ever widening. The stark contrast is glaring in large cities like New York. I move in very wide circles and very few of the very rich just don't get it.
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