As the Occupy Wall Street movement rolls into its third week, protesters decided to mix things up a bit this morning.
An email from Occupy Wall Street spokesperson Patrick Bruner said:
Everyone come dressed as a corporate zombie! This means jacket and tie if possible, white face, fake blood, eating monopoly money, and doing a slow march, so when people come to work on Monday in this neighborhood they see us reflecting the metaphor of their actions. Tell your friends, Facebook it, Twitter it, and it can be MJ Thriller-style too! Create a different image than police brutality!
Plenty of protesters heeded the instructions and donned white makeup, fake blood and props as their regular march proved to be more of a lurch this afternoon.
“We are really just trying to have a little fun, mix it up a bit and also call out the people who work within corporations who go to work unthinking, do their corporate jobs and then leave, without recognizing the harm that they are causing to the people around them,” said Arie Cowan, a 21-year-old protester who called himself a community organizer.
The initiative definitely attracted a lot of attention as members of the media swarmed Zuccotti Park, an obvious sign of how the movement has grown since its first week.
Passers-by stopped on the sidewalk, curious to figure out why the protesters were made up like zombies. Not everyone agreed with their message.
“It’s not fair because you could say the same for any worker who is holding down a regular job,” said Rupak R., an electronic trader who said he works on Wall Street. “Whether they are on Wall Street or Silicon Valley or just a nine to five teacher or anybody else for the most part.”
