Despite the question often posed by corporate and conservative media,
"Is the Occupy Wall Street movement finished?", I find that many folks across the nation are looking to OWS with hope for a better future. In spite of mass arrests, the cold winter and internal strife, the activists have found a place in the hearts of many downtrodden people looking for a little bit of light at the end of a long dark tunnel.
I've received calls from middle class working folks from all across the nation. From New Jersey to Alabama they express their gratitude to the occupation movement for giving them hope for the future. That is why we can not allow this movement to end. We must keep it alive for all the millions of people who feel helpless - powerless to change or even to confront the corporate state.
I've heard some very powerful and moving stories from people who have been victimized and ignored by corporate America. Many of these folks live in corporate towns where every public official and lawyer in the county has been bought off by large businesses.
I wish there was something I could do to help them, but I am not an attorney or a politician or a corporate executive. All I have is my voice, my hands, and my own two feet. So I listen to the stories and I try to console them the best way I can.
"Contact every source you know that may be sympathetic. Call alternative media like Democracy Now! and tell them your story. Publish your story on websites where people can see it. Find a public interest attorney who will help you file a lawsuit. And start an occupation group in your own town or find one nearby."
I guess just being heard for once often helps them to feel better. But up until now they haven't found anyone who will listen - certainly not their elected representatives or the corporate media.
In this way the Occupy Wall Street movement is very powerful.
Long live the occupation!