“Occupy” protests are taking place in Nashville, across the nation and even worldwide as people voice their concerns about corporate corruption in politics.
The Occupy Nashville movement made its first appearance in Music City on Thursday, Oct. 6, when several hundred protesters led chants and gave speeches for an hour and a half in Legislative Plaza.
On Saturday, Oct. 8, about 150 people congregated at Centennial Park for an informational meeting to determine further efforts to support the worldwide protests, which began on Wall Street on Sept. 17. Late Sunday, another 35 people gathered in Legislative Plaza.
Lipscomb’s Clay Smith, a senior from Troy, Tenn., majoring in Spanish education, went to Thursday’s protest to document the activity and to hear participants’ perspectives.
Credit: Ann Richardson
“I’ve been following what’s happening on Wall Street,” Smith said, “and I wanted to see what that would look like in other cities.
“I think that a lot of people’s frustrations come from the fact that a lot of government agencies have gotten bail outs, but the average person hasn’t been helped much by it.”
Smith believes America was founded on accountability and the right of the people to confront the government when it does something wrong.
“I think it’s always important for us to hold the government accountable,” he said. “I think it’s a good thing for people to be talking about.”
Smith said he thinks the protesters hope the government will take them seriously, just as it takes corporations seriously. He said many people are upset by the idea of “corporate personhood” and think the government has lost focus on the nation’s true citizens.
“I think it could have a big impact on the 2012 Presidential election and upcoming elections,” Smith said
The “occupy” movement has been going on for nearly four weeks and has involved protests in at least 2 dozen U.S. cities. According to CBS, almost 130 people were arrested at the protests in Boston. The New York Times reported Tuesday that Democratic Party leaders seemed to be using the protests “as a way to align disenchanted Americans with their party.”
An article from CNN says that Facebook has allowed the occupy movement to stretch worldwide. The news agency reports that more than 25 countries have demonstrations planned for Oct. 15 in cities across Europe, Asia and South America.
Smith says he thinks it is easy for students to become apathetic about politics, but he said it is important to know what is happening in the world.
Credit: Ann Richardson
“I don’t necessarily think everybody needs to be political,” he said. “I think it’s just important that students are aware of what’s happening around them. As Christians, if we’re disenfranchised from the people around us, we’re disenfranchised from the people who need us most.”
According to the website for Occupy Nashville, protesters plan to demonstrate their freedoms of speech and peaceably assembly “by the indefinite occupation of Legislative Plaza.” The movement’s goal is to end “corporate corruption of our political system and thereby giving the voice of democracy back to the people.”
The protests criticize the financial structure of America, which has allowed the nation’s wealthiest 1 percent to control most of the nation’s money. Occupy Nashville’s site puts words to this goal saying, “We are reclaiming our democracy. We are the 99%.”
The Occupy Nashville website reports that a rally and protest march is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 15 at 1 p.m. at the Nashville Courthouse. The organizers say they have obtained a permit for the march, which will begin at 2:30 p.m.