We are the 99%!

the first poster Adbusters put together in 2011 for OWS

Welcome! Here is a blog dedicated to the political and social impact of the Occupy Wall Street Movement.  Political activism is not something new here in America.   OWS all began with an e-mail sent to Adbusters, a culture-jamming magazine that focuses their idea of the destruction of the physical and cultural environments through commercial power, which aimed to catch the eyes of the 90,000 members has hashtagging #OccupyWallStreet.  The idea quickly expanded, and formed this massive involvement not only in America, but in other parts of the world.

OWS put together a General Assembly, which started as a planning committee into a decision-making body for the movement.  With just a few thousand dollars, the organization started making their plan of action. They focuses on tactics, fundraising, food, and and building a social media foundation to globalize their message. They expected some 20,000 people gathered from Adbusters to participate, but they weren't sure of that number.

OWS's message was this: Occupy Wall Street represents the stranglehold on American politics and society by the interests of a wealthy few, a government by the corporations and apparently for them (Schneider, 2011).

When September 17th, the day the OWS would commence, people from all over the country to help for the movement.  The number of participants was 2,000 but the number later minimized to 200. They soon settled in Zucotti Park, a park privately owned by Brookfield Office Properties. There they set up camp and turned from protesters to occupiers.

Soon after, the movement initiated their motives and got to work by protesting, holding up signs and shouting "we are the 99%!."  Along with protesting came arresting.  OWS had their fair share of disputes with the NYPD, but by September 21, videos of occupiers being grabbed and roughly seized began a series of social media tools to come into play to record what actually happened and what OWS had to say about it.

And that is generally what this blog is about.  Its how OWS utilized the technology advancements we all commonly use. From out phones with various social media applications, to traditional media on television news shows.  OWS was single handedly the most spoken out protest group of not only America, but the world.