The Occupy Wall Street movement was a series of protests that started in New York City’s Wall Street Financial District on September 7, 2011. The protest was aimed to draw attention to the corruption that had ensued from the connections between political and corporate powers, and social and economic inequality.
According to the website Occupywallst.org, the original idea of the protest was the brainchild of Kalle Lasn, founder of the Adbusters, and Micah White, an editor at the magazine.
“We are the 99 percent” became the slogan for the Occupy Wall Street protests against the support of politicians to policies that benefited only a few at the expense of everyone else.
The crackdown on protestors included arrests for bizarre reasons, The Atlantic reported. Around 2,000 people were detained in New York City alone.
Although they drew public attention, the Occupy Wall Street protests did not achieve much on the ground. The lack of a clear goal is often cited as a reason why the movement fizzled out. Some analysts have also said that anarchy and the lack of leadership are what caused the movement to eventually fade out.
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