Some Americans are calling for a mass protest and sit-in today at the country's financial epicenter, Wall Street in New York City. Dubbed ‘Occupy Wall Street,' the protest is calling to end the repression of big business in America. Many of the protest's supporters are calling for mass demonstrations reminiscent of the early days of Egypt's January 25 Revolution, when hundreds of thousands gathered in the capital city's now-iconic Tahrir Square. Citing the success of Egyptians united under one demand – ousting 30-year President Hosni Mubarak – the U.S. protest is also calling for only one demand. They want President Barack Obama to create a commission “'tasked with ending the influence money has over our representatives in Washington,” according to protest organizers. Organizer Justin Wedes, however, said sparking a movement against corporate dominance is more important than any one demand. “I think the purpose of September 17th, for many of us who are helping to organize it and people who are coming out, is to begin a conversation, as citizens, as people affected by this financial system in collapse, as to how we're going to fix it, as to what we're going to do in order to make it work for us again," Wedes has been quoted by various media as saying. Some protesters and media outlets have gone so far as to call the nascent movement “America's Tahrir Square.” “Are you ready for a Tahrir moment?” asks one poster for the event. Another image circulated on social networking site Twitter highlights the impact of the Arab uprisings on media-savvy American young people. The photoshopped image shows a crowd holding their shoes in the air – an infamous Middle Eastern insult – before an American flag hanging on the front of the New York Stock Exchange. In place of stars, the flag has the logos for various brands and big businesses, including McDonalds, CNN, Visa, Verizon, Nike, WalMart and Exxon. Text at the bottom reads, “Is America Ripe for a Tahrir Moment?” Various groups have joined the September 17 demonstration, including the NYC General Assembly and US Day of Rage. "The one thing we all have in common is that We Are The 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%," says the event's official website. The statement seems appropriate: earlier this week the U.S. Census Bureau released data showing that poverty rates in the United States are at a 17-year high. "On the 17th of September, we want to see 20,000 people flood into lower Manhattan, set up beds, kitchens, peaceful barricades and occupy Wall Street for a few months," the event's website says. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said about the protest, “People have a right to protest, and if they want to protest, we'll be happy to make sure they have locations to do it.” He added, "As long as they do it where other people's rights are respected, this is the place where people can speak their minds, and that's what makes New York New York." It's a true American sentiment, but some activists posting on social networking Twitter seemed annoyed to find the New York Police Department (NYPD) erecting barricades in some locations around Wall Street. Tweeters also complained that the NYPD was closing streets in the city, but it must be noted that New York has bigger worried this weekend: it's hosting the United Nations General Assembly. It is impossible to know if street closures and amped-up security are related to today's protest or are simply intended to ensure the safety of world leaders at the UN conference, which promises to be heated. Yet while road closures could be unrelated, the fact that 17 out of New York's 23 metro lines are scheduled for maintenance today – according to the metro system's website – seems less coincidental. Five of the city's 11 bus lines are also scheduled for “planned work” today. Organizers of the September 17 protest have been adamant that the demonstration follow all laws, including staying off private property. US Day of Rage gave a detailed outline of legal and illegal actions: sleeping on sidewalks is legal, but putting up tents and blocking pedestrians or doorways are not. Some activists have claimed that Twitter is purposefully blocking the hashtag ‘#OccupyWallStreet' from trending on its website. Youm7, however, found no evidence that the hashtag was trending even in New York City, much less nationally in the U.S. or globally. Interestingly, the hashtag was actually more popular in Madrid, London and Cairo than in was in Brooklyn, New York as of 5pm Cairo time (11am New York time), according to trendsmap.com, which shows where hashtags are being used across the globe. By 2pm New York time (8pm Cairo time), a different hashtag, ‘#TakeWallStreet,' was listed as a top trend, indicating that Twitter users' fears were likely unfounded. Organizer US Day of Rage is organizing protests in cities across the U.S. to coincide with the September 17 Wall Street protest. Demonstrations are expected in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle.
