Anti-Wall Street, Somehow

The Wall Street protest in the United States is still looking for a unifying theme, but more and more people are joining it. Numerous attorneys have already offered to defend demonstrators if they’re arrested.

The protesters of this generation are awakening beneath blue plastic tarps. Eight a.m., Liberty Square: Slowly, one after another, the demonstrators crawl out of their sleeping bags. They yawn. They shiver. It’s gotten cold in New York, but those who fight for freedom and against consumption and capitalism can’t be prissy.

In this little park in New York’s financial district, several hundred demonstrators have been waiting for three weeks. They’ve survived cold nights, a lot of rain and unexpected brutality from the New York Police Department, who just a few days ago put four young women out of action by using pepper spray against them for no apparent reason.

The demonstrators’ war cry is “Occupy Wall Street!” The center of the globe’s financial markets and the New York exchanges is located just a few meters south of here. Everything is blocked off and for the most part barricaded. Police are everywhere, but the demonstrations proceed peacefully, if a bit haphazardly.

According to the organizers, what was supposed to be an “American version of Cairo’s Tahrir Square” is more reminiscent of a summer camp for students and aging hippies than it is of the desperate protests in Egypt. Despite the apparent bitterness about the system displayed by the demonstrators, and despite their stated objective to stop corporate America’s tyranny and Washington corruption, the predominant atmosphere in Liberty Square is one of fun and entertainment. Every afternoon, a tambourine circle forms in the square, and young men in dreadlocks play their guitars. A few people twirl hula hoops, and two girls warm up the crowd with their cheerleading. They’re so out of breath that their slogans can barely be understood, but no matter: The passing buses and taxis drown out everything anyway.

Just a few basic concepts of the “Arab Spring” survive here. The “Arab Spring” began with acts of desperation like the self immolation of street vendor Mohammed Bouazizi in Tunisia. These concepts aren’t even completely formulated. Every day sees new slogans painted on cardboard signs. Slogans like, ”There is no economy on a dead planet.” They support world peace, environmental protection and labor unions and are against banks, bail outs for big financial institutions at taxpayer expense and, totally off the subject, U.S. policy toward Israel.

Where some may be still seeking what they’re protesting for or against, others are jumping in already in full regalia. On Tuesday there was a zombie parade, the marchers with chalk-white faces munching on fake dollar bills. Others take the opportunity to protest in support of basic rights. Jason Ahmadi, 26-years-old and an experienced activist with years of experience in various campaigns advises, “Dress warmly. It can get cold in jail, and a heavy sweater can also double as a pillow if you don’t need to wear it.” He also advises demonstrators in case they’re arrested to call their lawyer first and their mother afterward.

Numerous lawyers have already offered to represent demonstrators. They wear green baseball caps and pass out cards to anyone in the crowd who wants one. The protestors are also getting support from other quarters: from prominent people like George Soros. The well-known investor publicly made his support for the protesters known, saying on Monday that he sympathizes with them. On one hand, small business owners have to struggle with ever increasing interest rates on their credit cards, while on the other, the financial sector rakes in huge profits and doles out large bonuses to their managers. Activist filmmaker Michael Moore and actress Susan Sarandon have visited Liberty Square in support of the protests.

The stars are welcomed because they guarantee a media presence. Meanwhile, all major media outlets have established a presence around the demonstrations. Camera teams from ABC and NBC interview demonstrators after their morning mass-meeting. Given the nationwide media coverage, one activist says they’ve already won and another confidently adds, “This is just the beginning.”