Occupy Town Square, February 26, 2012, Tompkin's Square Park
Photo: Stacy Lanyon
I'm from Detroit, Michigan. A lot of the time, that's all I need to say about why I occupy. My dad is a skilled machinist. It seemed like every six months he was out of work. We were always living outside of our means, on credit cards, one payment away from losing our car or house. When I was 14, I got a fast food job to help my mother pay for groceries. My parents couldn’t afford to send me to college, so they encouraged me to take out student loans and credit cards because it’s the only thing that they knew. We all figured it would be an investment because I was a "good student" with a "bright future." I spent most of my twenties in debt and very mentally sick because of it. It almost cost me my life at several points.
I think I have always been waiting for Occupy to start. I think I was born for this, honestly. I saw the article about the Brooklyn Bridge march last September. The next day I was here, and I never left. It seemed so relevant to me. Suddenly it all clicked: Our collective debts didn't happen because we were failures; they happened because the system failed us. Similar to a parent setting an example for a child, our government set the example of carrying massive debt, and the people followed suit. It was an acceptable practice.
There are so many reasons why Occupy Wall Street is so important. I believe it is the culmination of a lot of the social and economic justice movements that have happened over the last century. This is the time in my generation where I have a chance to make a difference through what I do, what I say and what I believe. Since I’ve been here, I’ve had a chance to practice my art and learn leadership with the OWS Screenprinters Guild, and in doing so, I've met some of the most forward thinking and intelligent people I’ve ever known. I've connected with people who feel something so deeply, that they’re so committed to, that they’re willing to risk arrest and violence for. After years of feeling desperately depressed, numb, and dumbed down, I've found something that gives me infinite hope. And I can't say enough about my peers, who continue to put their whole lives on the line, sacrificing everything to be here and to be a part of this.
It’s important to each of us. It’s important to the people who came before us, to see that their legacy of peace and justice for all continues moving forward. It’s important to every person who is going to carry on after us. My mother tells me stories of growing up in Detroit, witnessing the civil rights riots of the 60's. All throughout my childhood I heard stories of the police beatings, the looting and fires, and saw the injustice for myself in the 80’s and 90's-- all the shops closing, the factories closing. I grew up with an intimate knowledge that sometimes you work your whole life and walk away with nothing. Coming here --to OWS-- I do it for everyone who can’t be here. I do it for my family. In my mind, it’s the most important thing that you can do with yourself right now.
I actually just had a discussion with some of my friends from childhood about this. They have kids now. I don’t. We all agreed that we want our kids to be able to live in a world where education is something that they can just go out and pursue. We want them to have the choice of what kind of education they want, without their parents' experience determining their station in life. My friends with daughters want their girls to be able to choose what to do with their bodies, and not have somebody’s religious mandate imposed on them. We want them to have a healthy body and a confident self image, and not feel inadequate because they don't measure up to some insane ideal, and not be sick from the foods they eat or the medicines they take, which are labeled as "healthy."
The world that I envision would be a lot more equitable. I envision things like local, decentralized banks, a home that no one can take away, mass transit that liberates us from our oil dependency, no more industrial food complex cranking out overprocessed products, making us sick -- rather, we have homes and land equipped for making our own food. There would be no Sallie Mae, no FAFSA -- Just college for everyone. There would be more worker owned, cooperative businesses where people don't slave for an inadequate wage; rather, they own a share in the management structure and can collectively establish fair policies for their labor. And for God's sake, no more wars. No more genocide for the sake of hoarding natural resources and turning a profit.
Regardless of party, class, wealth, or education level -- wherever you align yourself, don't we all want the same things in the end? A good life for ourselves, and a better life for our families?
Interview by Stacy Lanyon
http://buildingcompassionthroughaction.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/stacylanyon
https://instagram.com/stacylanyon/
https://twitter.com/StacyLanyon
http://stacylanyon.com/
I think I have always been waiting for Occupy to start. I think I was born for this, honestly. I saw the article about the Brooklyn Bridge march last September. The next day I was here, and I never left. It seemed so relevant to me. Suddenly it all clicked: Our collective debts didn't happen because we were failures; they happened because the system failed us. Similar to a parent setting an example for a child, our government set the example of carrying massive debt, and the people followed suit. It was an acceptable practice.
There are so many reasons why Occupy Wall Street is so important. I believe it is the culmination of a lot of the social and economic justice movements that have happened over the last century. This is the time in my generation where I have a chance to make a difference through what I do, what I say and what I believe. Since I’ve been here, I’ve had a chance to practice my art and learn leadership with the OWS Screenprinters Guild, and in doing so, I've met some of the most forward thinking and intelligent people I’ve ever known. I've connected with people who feel something so deeply, that they’re so committed to, that they’re willing to risk arrest and violence for. After years of feeling desperately depressed, numb, and dumbed down, I've found something that gives me infinite hope. And I can't say enough about my peers, who continue to put their whole lives on the line, sacrificing everything to be here and to be a part of this.
It’s important to each of us. It’s important to the people who came before us, to see that their legacy of peace and justice for all continues moving forward. It’s important to every person who is going to carry on after us. My mother tells me stories of growing up in Detroit, witnessing the civil rights riots of the 60's. All throughout my childhood I heard stories of the police beatings, the looting and fires, and saw the injustice for myself in the 80’s and 90's-- all the shops closing, the factories closing. I grew up with an intimate knowledge that sometimes you work your whole life and walk away with nothing. Coming here --to OWS-- I do it for everyone who can’t be here. I do it for my family. In my mind, it’s the most important thing that you can do with yourself right now.
I actually just had a discussion with some of my friends from childhood about this. They have kids now. I don’t. We all agreed that we want our kids to be able to live in a world where education is something that they can just go out and pursue. We want them to have the choice of what kind of education they want, without their parents' experience determining their station in life. My friends with daughters want their girls to be able to choose what to do with their bodies, and not have somebody’s religious mandate imposed on them. We want them to have a healthy body and a confident self image, and not feel inadequate because they don't measure up to some insane ideal, and not be sick from the foods they eat or the medicines they take, which are labeled as "healthy."
The world that I envision would be a lot more equitable. I envision things like local, decentralized banks, a home that no one can take away, mass transit that liberates us from our oil dependency, no more industrial food complex cranking out overprocessed products, making us sick -- rather, we have homes and land equipped for making our own food. There would be no Sallie Mae, no FAFSA -- Just college for everyone. There would be more worker owned, cooperative businesses where people don't slave for an inadequate wage; rather, they own a share in the management structure and can collectively establish fair policies for their labor. And for God's sake, no more wars. No more genocide for the sake of hoarding natural resources and turning a profit.
Regardless of party, class, wealth, or education level -- wherever you align yourself, don't we all want the same things in the end? A good life for ourselves, and a better life for our families?
Interview by Stacy Lanyon
http://buildingcompassionthroughaction.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/stacylanyon
https://instagram.com/stacylanyon/
https://twitter.com/StacyLanyon
http://stacylanyon.com/