Occupy Wall Street!

LT Staff

May 1, 2012

Occupy Wall Street is in full effect today. Occupy protesters and immigration activist are participating in “May Day,” a general strike across the country against labor conditions. There are many activist and protesters encouraging workers and students not to show up for work or school. The protest organizer say with this protest they intend to show the “1 percent” of what life without the “99 percent” would look like. Pete Dutro, a protest organizer from brooklyn, N.Y., said the date of nationwide strike is related to the Haymarket Massacre in Chicago. On May 4, 1886 demonstrators were protesting in favor of a eight hour workday until a bomb was thrown, killing police officers workers and protesters. Many labor groups recognize May 1 as “International Workers’ Day.” Dutro says “Without Labor, we do not produce things. That’s kind of why this started, the labor conditions were not good back then, people were being exploited and you had a huge disparity in income. And that’s what we’re facing right now.” This could be the biggest shutdown New York City has ever seen with plans to block at least one manhattan bound bridge or tunnel. OWS vows to re-create the day the movement first captured national headlines when 700 protesters were arrested marching across the brooklyn bridge on October 1,2011. OWS made an announcement saying “We are announcing these blockades now as a fair warning to protest the rest of the working people of New York who are considering joining the strikes, the city will be shut down.” Bill Dobbs an OWS press team member says “Nobody has any intreats in confrontation with the police. This is about Wall Street greed, but sometimes you have to fight for your right to protest.” But Mayor Bloomberg said that the city will be ready for OWS. “People have a right to protest. We Will protect that right. They don’t have the right to disrupt other people and keep other people from protesting or just going about their business,” Bloomberg said on Sunday.