Occupy
UNH protest draws in opposing Rally for Capitalism demonstration outside Thompson
Hall
Protesters
gather in the rain to voice their views on the Occupy Wall Street protest, the economy
and the government
By Brian
Ward
Durham- When asked why he was
standing shirtless in the rain with “I am the 99%” written on his chest, sophomore
Gregory Mulcahy simply said “Symbolism.”
Last Thur. two groups of demonstrators stood
in the lawn outside of Thompson Hall, trying to get their messages heard
through the cold rain. The Occupy UNH protestors huddled underneath a tree; trying
in vain to keep the rain out as they discussed the future of their demonstration.
Across from them, the UNH Rally to Restore Capitalism waved damp banners as they
tried to get the attention of walkers-by.
The Occupy UNH movement focuses on
issues at UNH, such as corporate interests in the school and university funding
and budget cuts. “I don’t speak for the movement, it’s made up of individuals,
I speak for myself.” Mulcahy said. According to him, the movement is not just
about the economy, but also about environmental issues such as climate change,
and other important social issues. “We can’t just focus on one issue, the
purpose is so wide.” He said.
The Occupy UNH protest was
organized by through Facebook and Twitter, however “there’s no leader, it’s
very democratic.” Mulcahy said. The Occupy UNH movement doesn’t plan to “occupy”
UNH full-time, and plans to hold regular meetings where people can come and
voice their opinions. “No reason to make people angry.” protester Ala Oleksy
said about occupying the campus. Oleksy joined the protest to support the
national Occupy Wall Street movement, and to voice her issues with the income
gap among Americans. “1 percent of the population is controlling 99 percent of
the wealth.” She said “Whatever the solution is doesn’t matter.”
The members of the Rally for Capitalism
had a more direct goal for their protest. “This rally stands for true capitalism.”
Jenn Hall said. Upon receiving word that an Occupy UNH protest was scheduled
for that afternoon, Hall and the other members of local organizations, such as
Americans for Prosperity and Young Americans for Liberty, came out in the rain
to have their voices heard. “We have a
big government that takes advantage of people.” She said. According to Hall,
both protests are over the same economic issues, but have different opinions on
whether the government should be involved in fixing the problem. Rally members
feel that the nation’s current economic troubles were caused in part by the federal
government bailing out big businesses and that to solve the problem the government
should separate itself from businesses.
Sylvia Smith said. Smith is a
member of the Tea Party movement, and has been involved with recent events in
Washington D.C, where tensions between the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street
movements have been increasing. “We came out to support campus students,
encouraged us to talk with the others, and wanted to support these young
people.” Smith was recently at a banquet hosted by Judge Napolitano, where some
Tea Party members were hurt by protesters while leaving the building, and
thinks the mainstream media hasn’t been covering the opposing groups fairly.
Despite tension between the
national movements, the UNH protests have remained amicable toward each other, with
members of both sides going over to discuss their beliefs with each other. However,
a Rally for Capitalism member, Nick Murray, who went over to speak with the Occupy
UNH protesters, said he didn’t feel he got the chance to get his opinion heard
before the Occupy protestors voted to end the discussion. “They were talking about
organization and structure; I came in wanting to talk about existentialism.”
Murray said.
Work Cited
Smith, Sylvia. "Occupy
UNH/Rally for Capitalism Interveiws." Personal interview. 10 Nov. 2011.
Oleksy, Ala. "Occupy UNH/Rally
for Capitalism Interveiws." Personal interview. 10 Nov. 2011.
Murray, Nick. "Occupy
UNH/Rally for Capitalism Interveiws." Personal interview. 10 Nov. 2011.
Mulcahy, Gregory. "Occupy
UNH/Rally for Capitalism Interveiws." Personal interview. 10 Nov. 2011.
Hall, Jenn. "Occupy UNH/Rally
for Capitalism Interveiws." Personal interview. 10 Nov. 2011.
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