A Canadian magazine, Adbusters, posted a detailed and explicit call to occupy Wall Street and protest against corporate greed, on its blog on July 13. Three hundred people answered the call on Sept. 17 in New York City and the Occupy Wall Street movement was born. Protesters took over Zuccotti Park near Wall Street and a growing number of people camped there until Nov. 15 when police disbanded the camp in an early morning raid.
The movement has no singular demand, but calls itself the 99 percent, and rails against the wealthiest 1 percent in society and the financial system.
A march over Brooklyn Bridge was the first major event the protesters held, and resulted in more than 700 arrests. Subsequent marches and rallies were held throughout the city, with the movement gaining support from some unions and politicians.
Dozens of local residents and business owners turned out at a community board meeting to complain about the all-night drumming noise and the mess the protesters were creating in Zuccotti Park. Protesters vowed to work with the community and restrict drumming to daytime.
Police came under fire numerous times for arresting members of the media on duty. An apology was issued after several media companies formally complained that the city had violated the First Amendment and freedom of the press rights.
The effect of Occupy Wall Street is difficult to gauge, but Politico reporter, Dylan Byers, ran the numbers through Nexis and calculated that mentions of “income inequality” in news coverage increased by more than 500 percent since the Occupy Wall Street movement began.
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