Occupy Wall Street protest 'about people claiming some autonomy'

As the “Occupy Wall Street” demonstrations and sit-in move into their third week, trying to nail down the purpose and future of the movement can seem a frustrating task. It is as vast as the thousands who have gathered there, and it could go on in some form for months. Or not, as the case may be.

About 1,000 people have been arrested so far – most on misdemeanor disorderly conduct charges related to blocking traffic or refusing police orders to move.

But unlike the 1999 “Battle in Seattle” when anarchists and others trashed the city’s downtown during a mass protest of the World Trade Organization meeting there, the Wall Street protest has generally been nonviolent. The one notable exception was when a police officer – later identified as Deputy Inspector Anthony Bologna – was videographed shooting pepper spray at women peacefully penned inside police netting. That event is under official investigation.

Film maker Michael Moore and others say it’s Wall Street bankers who should be arrested for their role in the country’s economic difficulties.

"The world's economy has been wrecked by these rapacious traders,” author Salman Rushdie tweeted. “Yet it is the protesters who are jailed.”

On the “Wall Street Campout” Facebook page, the protest is described as “an ongoing nonviolent demonstration opposing what participants view as negative corporate influence over US politics.”

“It was inspired by the Arab Spring movement, particularly the protests in Cairo's Tahrir Square which resulted in the 2011 Egyptian Revolution,” the description continues. “The aim of the demonstration is to begin a sustained occupation of Wall Street, the financial district of New York City. Organizers intend for the occupation to last a few months.”

But beyond that, there’s no 10-point list of demands to be nailed, Martin Luther-like, to the business and media establishment’s door.

"It’s impossible to translate the issue of the greed of Wall Street into one demand, or two demands,” Princeton University professor Cornel West told Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! this week. “We’re talking about a democratic awakening. We’re talking about raising political consciousness.”

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