Thousands of people could descend upon Wall Street this weekend in a combined effort to voice their message. What that message is, however, is not yet entirely clear.
The “Occupy Wall Street” movement is rapidly gaining momentum online, calling on 20,000 people to set up tents and makeshift kitchens beginning noon Saturday. Its Facebook page boasts about 7,725 fans.
Some of the flyers call it “America’s Tahrir moment,” referring to the Tahrir Square protests that tumbled the Egyptian government as part of this year’s Arab Spring.
The website’s mantra announces: “Our nation, our species and our world are in crisis … We can no longer afford to let corporate greed and corrupt politics set the policies if our nation.”
Tennessean Bill Csapo, co-creator of OccupyWallStreet.org, said the overall message of the movement isn’t really defined.
“People are wording it differently,” he said. “Basically, there is way too much money influencing government and social policy. The 99 percent theme is resonating.”
He says 99 percent of the country is working for the profit of 1 percent. Another message that might be voiced Sept. 17, Csapo said, is “democracy not corporatocracy.”
Csapo said he cannot predict an exact number.
“People don’t have to come if they are fine with all they need being ignored,” he said.
