The Occupy Wall Street movement reached Santa Barbara this week, with protesters gathering near City Hall and marching along the State Street business corridor all day Monday.
Occupy Santa Barbara, like New York’s movement, has no leader or specific goals, but wants to create a space for community members to talk about problems and possible solutions, according to videographer Penny Little.
She said people need to talk about what can be done locally and come up with specific goals.
“No movement works without demands,” Little said.
This weekend, 700 Occupy Wall Street protesters were arrested on the Brooklyn Bridge when they tried to cross it. Many claimed that police officers tricked them by allowing them to cross, appearing to escort them, then trapping them in orange netting and arresting everyone walking in the roadway. The hundreds walking on the sidewalks weren’t arrested, and police told news outlets that they had warned marchers to get out of the roadway.
As the movement spreads across the country and the world, Occupy Wall Street participants are holding 24/7 sit-ins and planning a march to Zuccotti Park in New York City on Wednesday.
Protests and marches are fueled by social media, with events streamed live, active Twitter and Facebook statuses and constantly updated websites.
Santa Barbara speakers talked about a range of subjects and led marches along State Street to the Bank of America and Wells Fargo offices throughout the day, but protesters are expected to gather all week. Several people were prepared to camp out in De la Guerra Plaza on Monday night.
Speaker Marcelino Sepulveda said the gap between the top 1 percent of America’s wealthiest and the bottom 99 percent is at record highs, with the top 1 percent owning more than 70 percent of financial assets.
“We are the 99 percent” has been a rallying cry at Occupy Wall Street and spin-off movements throughout the world. With a diverse group of protesters and priorities, no clear “demands” have been made for any of the movements, but the conversations and participants continue to grow every day.
Sepulveda said people have felt disempowered and not heard while they lose their houses and jobs, so it’s time to discover a way to put people in front of corporate greed.
“People have nothing left to lose except their chains,” she said.
As one woman’s sign put it: The system isn’t broken; it was built this way.
Resident Lisa Star got the crowd chanting with her: “Let’s be free of Wall Street greed, ‘cuz jobs and schools are what we need.”
Supreme Court decisions such as Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission, which designated corporations as people for the sake of campaign finance rights, and “giving the presidency to George W. Bush” have taken away from the power of the citizenry, according to Marc McGinnes.
“There’s a big difference between justice and just us,” he said.
— Noozhawk staff writer Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.