Thursday, November 3, 2011

Occupy Wall Street Protestors: Dedicated or Crazy?

Zuccotti Park, NY, Oct. 11— Jason Ahmadi, a recent graduate of Berkeley, is one of the young protesters in Manhattan with a serious dedication to the Occupy Wall Street movement and a cohesive message.
“I’m here because of the wars, environmental devastation, and this nasty bailout. I am here to take the institutions back for our people, resist the 1 percent,” he says.
Jason, one of the organizers of the protests, first became involved through his role as a national committee member of the War Resisters League. The League is the United States’ oldest secular pacifist organization. Established in 1923, the War Resisters work towards nonviolent revolution, trying to stop war abroad and at home.
As Jason explains, the War Resisters League was a perfect fit and the right avenue to voice his beliefs. Already an active participant in hunger strikes, banner drops, marches, and tree-sits during college, when the Occupy movement began to form, the League trusted that Jason would be the right representative for them to send out.
“I go wherever I am needed,” says Jason. “I came out to support my brothers and sisters. I am representing the 99% that is left out of our economy.”
Jason’s commitment to the Occupy Wall Street movement provides much needed inspiration to others. His type of drive and passion transforms ideas into real changes, if only all members of the movement were as motivated and clear-headed as Jason. Thus, its not surprising when asked who his major influences are he lists Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X. Having already been arrested numerous times for protesting on Wall street,
As media coverage of the movement has increased, Jason has become a recognized face for the Occupy movement. Videos capturing several of his arrests can be found on YouTube, as well as interviews he has given to different media outlets, including NPR. When talking of his new found notoriety among the movement, Jason seems to get a little shy but concedes that any attention he gets ultimately helps the movement and elevates the cause.
“The love I have received from my supporters has been one of my greatest reserves to continue in the face of injustice and oppression,” he says.
With the protests having begun on September 17th, the question on everyone’s mind is whether the Occupy movement will generate any significant change. In exploring the possibility of protests dying out with no revisions made to the current system, Jason expresses no fear.
“This movement is growing, this movement is building. This is the future, this is the people power, this is the way we are going to change our society.”
Despite his arrests and the criticisms the movement has attracted, Jason is not backing down. Jason has been here since day one and says he will continue to be until the people are heard, “ this has empowered me to be here because this is more than our government being taken by the banks and exploiting all of us, this is about our First Amendment rights, our right to assemble and really just taking back our government for the people."
While Jason represents the devoted and committed activist, presenting the movement with the hope it needs to continue on in their fight, Blandon Blood symbolizes a more eccentric and, apparently, not quite lucid protester. At nineteen, Blandon hails from Transylvania, Romania. Normally when protesting Blandon can be found wearing his “V” mask which stands for the hacker collective Anonymous. The group, spread throughout the Internet, initiates active civil disobedience while trying to maintain their anonymity. “The mask,” as Blandon explains, “gives me freedom yet terror.”
Blandon was recruited to the Occupy protests by a letter, he claims, he received in the mail.
“They told me I had come out here right now, they needed my help.” When asked to clarify who “they” were Blandon couldn't quite elaborate.
However, regardless of how he got here the important part is that Blandon managed to get himself to Zuccotti Park and join the growing movement. For Blandon the protests are all about freedom and greed, “we all hate the greed.”
Having been camped out in the park for over 12 days now, Blandon doesn’t plan on going anywhere, “I will be here for as long as it takes, forever if I have to.” Police confrontation hasn’t deterred Blandon either. By his count he has already been arrested eight times since he’s arrived. Currently, Blandon is sporting a fresh bruise under his left eye that was the result of his latest arrest.
Like Jason, Blandon is definitely committed to the movement. He’s here speaking up for the same 99 percent that Jason seeks to represent. Although, when the conversation extends to broader topics such as international terrorism, Blandon’s beliefs become a little more controversial and radical. Blandon is thoroughly convinced the World Trade Center attacks were carried out by the Bush administration.
“I saw pictures of the explosion and video. You can see the C4, the explosive stuff, and it shows it was all the United States government.” Blandon also believes that car bombs should be put in cop cars in retaliation of their unjust treatment of protesters, “I am for the use of force.” Interestingly enough Blandon wears several stickers on his shirt that claim “love not war”.
Blandon is quite an interesting character and in spite of some of his contradictory messages he wants to be heard, he deserves the right to be heard. Blandon might not be as cohesive and organized as Jason, but both are defending their beliefs and supporting the 99 percent that want to regain control, as they see it, of a failing system.

-Gabrielle Melton

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