Occupy movement heads to Chicago’s Federal Reserve
By By Jonathan Samples
Published: Monday, October 3, 2011
Updated: Monday, October 3, 2011 10:10
5
Photo by Jonathan Samples
Charlie Town addresses protesters on the corner of LaSalle and Jackson streets last Wednesday.
Photo by Jonathan Samples
Andrew Mongenas holds a sign last Wednesday at the Occupy Chicago protest.
Photo by Jonathan Samples
Students show their support holding signs during Chicago occupation.
Last Wednesday was the second consecutive day Charlie Town had been outside of Chicago's Federal Reserve Bank, protesting what he feels is a corrupt financial system in the United States.
With bull horn in hand, the native of the northwest suburbs shouted various slogans that were aimed at rallying the crowd of nearly a hundred, who had gathered to support the Occupy Wall Street protests taking place in New York and to speak out against what they say are unfair corporate bailouts.
"We're trying to gain awareness of the corruption that exists in the financial system," said Town. "We're out here protesting in conjunction with Occupy Wall Street and other Occupy movements that are going on."
The occupation began on Sept. 23 and as of Saturday was still taking place. The occupation varies between 50 and a couple hundred people. The majority of the protesters appeared to be in their 20s, and Town suggested it was a part of a new generation of world-wide protest.
"It's going to go on until we start seeing change," Town said. "These people here are very, very passionate and very aware in the wake of what's going on and the reality that we're in. This is the beginning of the revolution. This is revolution here and now."
Protesters are using the corner of Jackson and LaSalle as there base camp; at times marching through the financial district and to Millennium Park in order to attract more people to the protest.
Roosevelt University student Cory Schenn was one of those protestors taking place in a demonstration on Michigan Avenue on Friday.
"The demonstration behind me is to create awareness of the political situation in our country," Schenn said. "To tell the Federal Reserve to get off their rear ends; create jobs and get American people back to work."
Protesters and police have coexisted, compared to the Occupy Wall Street protest, where between 400-500 people were arrested Saturday night and charged with disorderly conduct.
According to Town, the Chicago Police have made concessions, allowing protesters parking areas where they could sleep.
Lawyers from the National Lawyers Guild have also helped the occupation when the Chicago Police began to enforce a law that would not allow protestors to sleep on the sidewalk. Town said the lawyers helped to negotiate areas where protestors could sleep.
Yet, a Chicago Police officer on the scene denied that they were providing the protesters with places to sleep. The Chicago Police Department did not return attempts for comment.
Andrew Mongenas, a student at the Art Institute of Chicago, said protestors had to move their personal belongings after Chicago Police began enforcing a law that prohibited personal belongings on public property.
"They gave us an hour to move six days worth of accumulation of goods," Mongenas said.
Despite this, Mongenas said protesters were in high spirits and peaceful.
"I know people who have been here since day one, who are as energetic or more energetic than they were." Mongenas said.
"There are new people showing up everyday, and I think it's growing."
At one point, Mongenas introduced himself to a Federal Reserve officer that was standing with the protesters. The officer did not want to identify himself, but said he sympathized with the protesters to a degree.
"I feel like we're all in the same boat," said the officer.
Protesters with Occupy Chicago and Occupy Wall Street are working together, sharing organizational strategies with the New York occupation.
"We have Skype communications, where we're Skyping each other," Town said. "We're communicating effective organizational procedures that work with them that we're going to try and incorporate here. We are trying to organize and make this as effective as possible."
Social media like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Skype and Reddit.com, are being used by protesters to organize daily itineraries, coordinate slogans and synchronize other strategies.
One of these slogans, "We are the 99 %," sums up the protesters' argument that large corporations are at odds with the majority of Americans.
"I hear people saying we need to help small businesses," Naperville resident Douglas Horatio, who attended the occupation, said. "Well I'm a small business owner. There not helping small businesses, they're helping multi-national corporations."
Some people who have found out about the demonstration through various social media have been supporting protesters with supplies. Cars or people stop momentarily and drop off bags of food and other supplies necessary to maintain the occupation, such as materials for making signs.
According to Max Folson, a protester, these supplies are important in maintaining the occupation.
"People are coming by and giving whatever they can," Folson said. "A lot of it is people wanting to support the cause but for whatever reason can't stay."
At the time of publication, both the Chicago and Wall Street occupations were still taking place and, according to Mongenas, are not going to end anytime soon.
"The demonstration is going to plan," Mongenas said. "The numbers are growing everyday. This is an occupation no matter what they try to make it seem like and we're certainly going to be here."
By By Jonathan Samples
Published: Monday, October 3, 2011
Updated: Monday, October 3, 2011 10:10
5
Photo by Jonathan Samples
Charlie Town addresses protesters on the corner of LaSalle and Jackson streets last Wednesday.
Photo by Jonathan Samples
Andrew Mongenas holds a sign last Wednesday at the Occupy Chicago protest.
Photo by Jonathan Samples
Students show their support holding signs during Chicago occupation.
Last Wednesday was the second consecutive day Charlie Town had been outside of Chicago's Federal Reserve Bank, protesting what he feels is a corrupt financial system in the United States.
With bull horn in hand, the native of the northwest suburbs shouted various slogans that were aimed at rallying the crowd of nearly a hundred, who had gathered to support the Occupy Wall Street protests taking place in New York and to speak out against what they say are unfair corporate bailouts.
"We're trying to gain awareness of the corruption that exists in the financial system," said Town. "We're out here protesting in conjunction with Occupy Wall Street and other Occupy movements that are going on."
The occupation began on Sept. 23 and as of Saturday was still taking place. The occupation varies between 50 and a couple hundred people. The majority of the protesters appeared to be in their 20s, and Town suggested it was a part of a new generation of world-wide protest.
"It's going to go on until we start seeing change," Town said. "These people here are very, very passionate and very aware in the wake of what's going on and the reality that we're in. This is the beginning of the revolution. This is revolution here and now."
Protesters are using the corner of Jackson and LaSalle as there base camp; at times marching through the financial district and to Millennium Park in order to attract more people to the protest.
Roosevelt University student Cory Schenn was one of those protestors taking place in a demonstration on Michigan Avenue on Friday.
"The demonstration behind me is to create awareness of the political situation in our country," Schenn said. "To tell the Federal Reserve to get off their rear ends; create jobs and get American people back to work."
Protesters and police have coexisted, compared to the Occupy Wall Street protest, where between 400-500 people were arrested Saturday night and charged with disorderly conduct.
According to Town, the Chicago Police have made concessions, allowing protesters parking areas where they could sleep.
Lawyers from the National Lawyers Guild have also helped the occupation when the Chicago Police began to enforce a law that would not allow protestors to sleep on the sidewalk. Town said the lawyers helped to negotiate areas where protestors could sleep.
Yet, a Chicago Police officer on the scene denied that they were providing the protesters with places to sleep. The Chicago Police Department did not return attempts for comment.
Andrew Mongenas, a student at the Art Institute of Chicago, said protestors had to move their personal belongings after Chicago Police began enforcing a law that prohibited personal belongings on public property.
"They gave us an hour to move six days worth of accumulation of goods," Mongenas said.
Despite this, Mongenas said protesters were in high spirits and peaceful.
"I know people who have been here since day one, who are as energetic or more energetic than they were." Mongenas said.
"There are new people showing up everyday, and I think it's growing."
At one point, Mongenas introduced himself to a Federal Reserve officer that was standing with the protesters. The officer did not want to identify himself, but said he sympathized with the protesters to a degree.
"I feel like we're all in the same boat," said the officer.
Protesters with Occupy Chicago and Occupy Wall Street are working together, sharing organizational strategies with the New York occupation.
"We have Skype communications, where we're Skyping each other," Town said. "We're communicating effective organizational procedures that work with them that we're going to try and incorporate here. We are trying to organize and make this as effective as possible."
Social media like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Skype and Reddit.com, are being used by protesters to organize daily itineraries, coordinate slogans and synchronize other strategies.
One of these slogans, "We are the 99 %," sums up the protesters' argument that large corporations are at odds with the majority of Americans.
"I hear people saying we need to help small businesses," Naperville resident Douglas Horatio, who attended the occupation, said. "Well I'm a small business owner. There not helping small businesses, they're helping multi-national corporations."
Some people who have found out about the demonstration through various social media have been supporting protesters with supplies. Cars or people stop momentarily and drop off bags of food and other supplies necessary to maintain the occupation, such as materials for making signs.
According to Max Folson, a protester, these supplies are important in maintaining the occupation.
"People are coming by and giving whatever they can," Folson said. "A lot of it is people wanting to support the cause but for whatever reason can't stay."
At the time of publication, both the Chicago and Wall Street occupations were still taking place and, according to Mongenas, are not going to end anytime soon.
"The demonstration is going to plan," Mongenas said. "The numbers are growing everyday. This is an occupation no matter what they try to make it seem like and we're certainly going to be here."