While the Occupy Wall Street protests were some of the original and most media-documented of the “Occupy” protests, DC has become an important and central part of the movements. Several blogs, historical analyses/academic journals, and official ‘Occupy” websites have allowed me to further explore this topic and cite several keys reasons as to why an Occupy protest in DC is crucial to the success of the overall movement. Having numerous governmental, business, and other national and international groups headquartered in the city, Washington DC becomes a target city for protestors to make their voice heard. Further, the Occupy DC protests are not geographically far from the Occupy Wall Street protests, allowing cross organizing and movement efforts. Perhaps the most emotional appeal would also be the historical relevance of having a protest in Washington, DC.
With Washington, DC being one of the major political capitals of the free world, it only makes sense that there would be people marching and protesting on behalf of or in the same vain of the Occupy protestors far and wide. Numerous organizations have their headquarters based in the District, thus making it easier for Occupy protestors to target a wide range of groups that they wish to open a dialogue with. Some of the organizations, political bodies, and other groups that have been target include, but are not limited to: the United States Congress, the Presidential White House, Bank of America, the United States Chamber of Commerce, and the Ronald Reagan Building (in protest of the Keystone XL oil pipeline planned to stretch from Canada to Texas). With so many different organizations based in the District the Occupy movement can more quickly and easily reach these organizations. (WashingtonPost.com)
Washington DC is also relatively close to the original Occupy Wall Street movement, thus allowing easier coordination, movement, and intermingling between the DC group and the NY group. I have several close friends who have done this and reported that they made great connections with other members of different protests, increasing communication between the numerous groups. There are numerous inexpensive ways to get from DC to NY and back; bus, train, and organized carpooling are just a few. This allows people from the two groups to more easily make it to different events in the two cities, furthering the idea of “power in numbers”. More and more the two groups have been coming together to plan events and increase their media presence on the eastern seaboard.
Our nation’s capital has also acted as the staging grounds for numerous historical and revolutionary movements that forever changed our social and governmental system. Having an Occupy protest in DC allows protestors to be activists in the same area as people such as Martin Luther King and other freedom fighters once stood. Numerous famous activist marches, such as the Civil Rights March, the Kent State/Vietnam protests, the Levitate the Pentagon, and other historical protests have all occurred in DC. Thus when the Occupy DC protests stage their events, they are often conjuring images of revolutions past, greatly appealing the pathos of the American people. Having strong imagery such as the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, the current Occupy DC protest exists to bring light to the broken economic system that currently exists in the United States. The official movement website states that, “We are here because massive financial, political, and societal inequality is not sustainable, and threaten the country’s ability to thrive. We are here because we are the 99% and the economy is ours too.” (OccupyDC.org) Washington DC acts as a perfect historical, political, and social area for protestors to have their voices heard by the lawmakers, business executives, government officials, and America as a whole.
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Below is a link to a video that was created by the Occupy DC protestors explaining why some of them chose to occupy our nation’s capital.
http://october2011.org/blogs/margaret-flowers/october-2011-occupy-dc-why-are-we-here
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Sources:
OccupyDC.org
October2011.org
Tsesis, Alexander. We Shall Overcome: A History of Civil Rights and the Law. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2008. ISBN 978-0-300-11837-7
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-buzz/post/occupy-dc-nova-protesters-march-on-key-bridge-what-you-need-to-know/2011/11/17/gIQAVlk7TN_blog.html
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