A New Generation of Dissenters

[jideoyjgav]

If the Occupy Wall Street protesters ever choose to recognize a person who gave their cause its biggest boost, they may want to pay tribute to Anthony Bologna. Deputy Inspector Bologna, to be more precise, was the senior New York police officer <a href="http://www.ghdhairstraighteners-australia.com/ghd-mk5-stylers-c-6.html"><strong>GHD MK5 Stylers</strong></a> who on Sept. 24 blasted pepper spray at four female demonstrators, knocking them to the sidewalk in pain. An oft-viewed video of that moment offers no evidence of their having posed a threat or doing anything more sinister than shouting. That pepper shot in the face was a vital shot in the arm for the nascent anti-Wall Street movement. Its takeover of Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan had begun a week earlier, drawing some attention but not a lot — for a reason. Despite the belief of many protesters in their own uniqueness, this is a city inured to countless demonstrations held over a good many decades. Inspector Bologna's improvidence was a game changer. On the weekend of Sept. 24, Zuccotti Park occupiers could be counted in the many dozens. This Sunday, on a flawless early autumn afternoon, they were in the many hundreds, even discounting all the tourists taking in the show. News coverage has expanded geometrically in recent days, and the "occupy" movement has spread rapidly to other cities. So while Inspector Bologna's bad air day is said to be under department investigation, the demonstrators owe a great deal to him. Their demands remain diffuse, to the irritation of some sideline hecklers in the press and on television. At some point, a clear statement of goals will probably be required. But right now, an inchoate cry that the country is being failed by its financial structure seems to be enough for the movement to sustain itself. It must be said about Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg that, though he dislikes the protests and has hinted that the park occupation may have to end, he has not converted words into action. By now, his predecessor, Rudolph W. Giuliani, who had a tenuous grasp of the First Amendment's guaranteed right of peaceable assembly, would have probably ordered the police to clear the area — with water cannon, if necessary. Comparisons have been made with protests during the Vietnam War era. This is a boon for refugees from the 1960s, if only because they have a chance to hear bursts of terrific music once again. Buffalo Springfield has enjoyed something of a revival, what with frequent allusions to its landmark 1966 hit, "For What It's Worth." You know: <a href="http://www.ghdhairstraighteners-australia.com/ghd-boho-chic-limited-edition-hair-straightener-p-10.html"><strong>GHD Boho Chic Limited Edition Hair Straightener</strong></a> "There's something happening here/What it is ain't exactly clear. …" Mr. Bloomberg seems somewhat haunted by that era, making several references to it in his comments about the Zuccotti Park crowd. He hasn't quite managed to get it right, though. On his weekly radio show, he recalled antiwar demonstrations held long ago on Wall Street, with a suggestion that the targets back then were soldiers returning from Vietnam. Not so. The protests of that era weren't against the men who went into battle. They were against the political leadership that sent them to fight, and to die, in a war that few Americans understood and that most came over time to oppose. In the same way, the mayor has missed the point about this new generation of dissenters. Ten days ago, he said that in going after Wall Street, they were "protesting against people who make 40,000 and 50,000 a year and are struggling to make ends meet."That's not it at all. Agree with the demonstrators or not, they are denouncing the recklessness of the financial titans who brought the economy to its knees and who continue to thrive unrepentantly. Bank of America doesn't even mind how ##########ly greedy it looks with its new plan to impose a 5 monthly charge on customers who want access to their own money via their debit cards. Many signs are held aloft at Zuccotti Park. On Sunday, one young man walked around carrying a cardboard placard that simply said, "Our economy could be more fair." As a plan for action, it didn't amount to much. But it was hard to <a href="http://www.ghdhairstraighteners-australia.com/ghd-iv-mini-style-hair-straightenerghd-flat-iron-p-13.html"><strong>GHD IV Mini Style Hair Straightener/GHD Flat Iron</strong></a> see how any sentient person could take exception to the message.For more local news, including New York's chief judge Jonathan Lippman's penchant for dissent, the reunion of residents of a neighborhood razed in the 1950s, and the funeral of a Dutch clairvoyant killed in a Bronx fire, see the N.Y./Region section.Here's what City Room is reading in other papers and blogs this morning.Paul McCartney married Nancy Shevell, a board member of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. [DNAinfo]Columbia University is looking for millions to expand its engineering facilities into Manhattanville. [Columbia Spectator]A police officer saved his life by blocking a gun with his ring finger. [Daily News and The New York Times]Occupy Wall Street calls itself “leaderless,” but leadership has emerged. [Wall Street Journal]Ben & Jerry's, the ice cream giant, has endorsed Occupy Wall Street. [DNAinfo]Occupy Wall Street has spawned an art exhibit across the street from New York Stock Exchange. [CBS New York]The fate of some low-priced housing in Bushwick, Brooklyn, is uncertain because of a corruption scandal touching the Department of Housing Preservation and Development. [Daily News]A deputy inspector in the Police Department who was accused of ######ually harassing a male sergeant is suing the sergeant for slander. [Daily News]An autistic 12-year-old boy was arrested after crashing a truck, the Nassau County police said. [Daily News]Young Manhattan chess prodigies will take on the world's best players. [DNAinfo]Italian-Americans were honored at a ceremony in Columbus Circle. [NY1]City Councilwoman Gale A. Brewer wants food vendors barred from taxi stands. [DNAinfo]A celebrity steakhouse brand is going to open three more restaurants in Manhattan. [New York Post]New Jersey Transit riders face another difficult commute. [CBS New York]