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Evan Malachosky Current Event Round 4 Reform Mr. Wimmer Period 3 3/21/12 __The Occupy Movement: Reform__ __Summary:__ By this time, almost everyone has heard of the notorious “Occupy Movement”. The movement’s most recent stunt left 74 people in handcuffs outside the heart of NYC’s financial district. The movement has been out of the news recently but the organizers of the movement called this protest the beginning of their “comeback”. The spring and summer are coming up and so are opportunities for their protesting. Plenty of cities across the United States have taken notice of the NYC protests, and now are enforcing laws to prevent these. Cities around the nation have progressively made it more and more difficult for them to set up in public areas. Large turnouts are expected at the Republican and Democratic conventions in the upcoming months. Officers stated that protestor’s actions might be tolerated but that if the protests get out of hand, the protestors could be arrested in groups of 400 to 500 to sort out who is actively involved and who is not within the movement. __Relevance:__ After the Stock Market Crash of 1929, the United States faced tough economic times where the wealth was not evenly distributed. There were many protests and marches on Washington during those times. The Occupy Movement aims to promote economic equality and to shed light on the continued economic growth in the “Top 2%” of our economic system. The public displays the OM has nearly trademarked have been commonly compared to the post 1893 Panic marches on Washington. The unemployed marched on Washington searching for economic bailout, and some sort of assistance from the government. Another root of the Occupy Movement was the Poor People’s March on Washington. They pledged to campout in “Resurrection City” until they received a significantly different economic outcome. The Occupy Movement shows signs of being very similar to this and has become a nearly identical replication. The campouts at significant economic landmarks by the Occupy Movement have begun to attract the citizen’s attention but sometimes not for all the right reasons. __Evaluation:__ The Occupy Movement has aimed to become a household name and to promote their reform as frequent as possible. The Occupy Movement has almost become an attention-seeking mob, and much less an activist rally. The arrests and outbursts of rioting are not what the movement needs. They have begun building a dark cloud over their heads and it seems like it will not disappear any time soon. The movement, in my belief, needs to start promoting themselves in a more positive way. Yes, the public occupations are useful on a large scale to promote their presence and persistence, but the near rioting is not going to be useful in the pursuit of economic equality. If a peaceful and legal movement begins, such as public campouts could shed the light on homelessness and how harmful it is to millions everyday. I think the movement has become a reckless endeavor and if they wish to ever reach their goal they need to slow down and begin properly protesting.

1. Do you believe the Occupy Movement is succeeding? 2. Do you support the Occupy Movement’s beliefs? 3. How do you think the Movement should pursue their goal of economic equality? 4. Is economic equality a goal the United States should consider? 5. What are the downfalls of an equal economy? 6. Does the hardwork of others constitute equality with someone who has not tried anywhere near as hard?

__Works Cited__ Kastenbaum, Steve. "CNN POLITICS ON FACEBOOK Â» |CNN POLITICS ON TWITTER Â»." //Occupy Movement Plans a Comeback â//// This Just In//. Cable News Network, 19 Mar. 2012. Web. 21 Mar. 2012. .