The Occupy movement went global Oct. 15. Nathaniel Miller said that it involves people from every background.
Oct. 15 marked the Global Day of Occupation. The Occupy movement has spread worldwide with demonstrations in more than 1,500 cities globally and more than 100 U.S. cities. In Philadelphia, Occupy protesters marched from City Hall to Freedom Park.
“It’s been really exciting. It’s been really inspiring,” Nathaniel Miller of West Philadelphia, who is staying in a tent at City Hall, said. “Every day more and more people come. It’s really been inspiring to see people come together and start fighting back.”
What began on Sept. 17 in New York City has turned into a worldwide movement that has transformed city parks and public areas into tent cities. Protestors everywhere are coming out in large numbers and showing support for the aims and goals of Occupy Wall Street. However, there are still some people that seem to be confused about the Occupy movements.
“The mainstream press very rarely seems to cover things the way that they should or as accurately as possible so you know it could always be better coverage,” Miller said. “It’s certainly been well covered in alternative media.”
Despite the mixed messages that Occupy movements may be receiving Miller wanted to clear the record about what he believes is a huge misconception about the movement.
“We are all spokespeople so I can’t really be a spokesperson for Occupy Philly. I can only be a spokesperson for myself, but one misconception, I don’t know if I’ve read it so much in context of Occupy Philly, but sort of the larger [consensus] of Occupy movements in the United States is that it is mostly a bunch of white hippies,” Miller said. “There are people that come from all race and class backgrounds that are here. People think that it’s not as diverse as it actually is.”
Miller added that he’d occupy City Hall for “as long as it takes until the status quo is changed.”
Kierra Bussey can be reached at kierrajb@temple.edu.
What about the media covering the ows protester deficating on the American flag while his buddies cheered him on….