Today in Occupy Wall Street news:
- Looking for an event near you, or have an event we don't know about yet? Here's a list of over 200 Occupy Wall Street solidarity events around the country.
- David Dayen asks Sen. Jeff Merkley for his take on the protests:
“I think the movement is a reaction to how quickly the United States responded to the banks when they were in trouble, and how feebly we responded to American workers when they faced troubles of their own,” said Merkley. “They are responding to both problems in the economy and government dysfunction.”
I asked Merkley for his reaction to how the movement is essentially protesting him and his colleagues for their inability to break free of corporate shackles that prevent them from building an economy that works for the other 99%. “I agree that the system is broken,” Merkley said.
- Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chairs Raúl Grijalva and Keith Ellison released a statement in support of the protests. It reads in part:
We have been inspired by the growing grassroots movements on Wall Street and across the country. We share the anger and frustration of so many Americans who have seen the enormous toll that an unchecked Wall Street has taken on the overwhelming majority of Americans while benefitting the super wealthy. We join the calls for corporate accountability and expanded middle-class opportunity.
- Tuesday, AFSCME, the Communications Workers of America, and the Amalgamated Transit Union expressed their support for Occupy Wall Street. In addition to a statement from the national CWA, CWA District 1, which represents New York and New Jersey, sent out a statement of their own. District 1 had already featured Wednesday's march on its website.
- The Amalgamated Transit Union, like 1199 SEIU, pledged material support like food and supplies in addition to offering solidarity and rally participants.
- Daily Kos bloggers are keeping up with events (many with personal, on-the-ground reports.) A mothership diary with resources can be found here.
- The next large Occupy Wall Street rally is scheduled for Wednesday, 4:30 PM ET.
Top Comments for today are here.