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Faulking Opinions - Nov 10, 2011 - Printable Version
- Occupying OKC
by Mark Faulk
(Editor's note: This is a commentary written for the Oklahoma Gazette as a "point/counterpoint" rebuttal to an anti-occupy editorial. It should run in the November 16, 2011 edition of the paper.) What began as a single protest in a park in the Wall Street Financial District less than two months ago has grown to thousands of cities across the world, including several occupations in Oklahoma.
Unlike earlier protests in history, which were narrow in focus and concentrated on singular issues, the Occupy Movement has grander aspirations: to take back America from the moneyed interests who have hijacked Democracy in the name of greed. They call themselves the 99%, and assert that the richest individuals and corporations in America have been unfairly enriched through massive tax breaks, bailouts, and through the manipulation of the system and the financial markets, creating an imbalance of wealth that threatens our country’s economic stability.
The largest corporations pay little or no taxes and sit on the largest stockpile of ready cash in history, yet fourteen million Americans are out of work. In Oklahoma alone, over 100,000 citizens are unemployed, and many of those who are working are at or below the poverty level. While the richest 1% controls almost half of the wealth, many Oklahomans struggle just to pay their monthly bills, knowing that a layoff from work or a single monetary emergency could leave them homeless and hungry.
The small group of tents that line Kerr Park in downtown Oklahoma City are not the movement itself, but simply the epicenter of activity that has already extended to protests at the State Capitol and Governor’s Mansion, as well as boycotts of banks and businesses that they deem to be contrary to the best interests of the 99%. The makeshift kitchen, library, and sometimes barely adequate facilities provide a backdrop for spirited, and sometimes argumentative, meetings where issues are debated, often for hours, before being voted on by anyone who wants to join what is described as a leaderless democracy.
While the Wall Street Occupiers address national issues, Occupy OKC and other Oklahoma Occupations, are focusing, at least in part, on state and local issues. They protest against the billions of dollars in tax breaks given to wealthy corporations while budgets for education, health, human services, highway patrol, and other vital services have been slashed. They support local businesses over massive corporations, and local credit unions over the huge banks that received trillions of dollars in taxpayer funded bailouts.
While lobbyists for the ultra-wealthy occupy the back rooms and halls of our legislature every single day, and influence every piece of legislation that is passed at the State Capitol, the 99% are forced to occupy and protest in public places just to be heard. But in the long run, Occupy OKC hopes to utilize the attention that the movement has generated to create meaningful dialogue with elected officials at state and local levels, with the ultimate goal of giving voice to the millions of Oklahomans who have been disenfranchised by their own government.
Not only do the occupiers have a right to be protesting peacefully, they have a responsibility to speak out against the unfair influence of moneyed interests in our government. The question shouldn’t be why there are dozens of people occupying Kerr Park in downtown Oklahoma City, the real question should be why aren’t there more? In reality, there should be thousands of Oklahomans working together to return our state, and our nation, to a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.
For more information on Occupy OKC, go to: www.occupyokc.com,or join on Facebook HERE.
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