Occupy Chicago Protests Gaining Momentum

[struggle4progress]

Mark Cassello
Assistant Professor of English, Calumet College of St. Joseph
Posted: 10/9/11 12:27 PM ET

By the end of next week, Chicago's streets will be lined with 10,000 demonstrators as the Occupy Chicago movement galvanizes disparate forces hungering for a more equitable America. From a distance, the casual mob wearing skinny jeans, ironic tees, and bicycle messenger bags looks more like a gathering of Deerhoof fans rather than the Second City's counterpart to New York's Occupy Wall Street protest; but don't be deceived by appearances. At the time of this writing, nearly 300 individuals were poised to spend their fourteenth night outside.

They are encamped in the heart of Chicago's financial district: the corner of LaSalle and Jackson near the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and the Chicago Board of Trade. Lampooning corporate-speak, they have a "Mission Statement" that proclaims: "Occupy Chicago is here to fight corporate abuse of American democracy in solidarity with our brothers and sisters around the world." The crowd is diverse in age, ethnicity, and political views, but is overwhelmingly comprised of students. The vocal but disciplined gathering adheres strictly to local ordinances which prohibit sleeping on public sidewalks or the storing of personal belongings on public property. Consequently, belongings are stored on wheeled carts or in backpacks, and individuals are encouraged to sleep in shifts ...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-cassello/occupy-chicago-protests-g_b_997824.html