October 26, 2011
From Wall Street to Main Street, the “Occupy” movement has grown worldwide in the past month, spreading to cities large and small. People have taken over city parks and other areas to protest corporate greed, economic injustice and related issues.
Now Bowling Green, Ohio, has its own Occupy presence, an encampment in a downtown alleyway that organizers vow to operate “24/7 indefinitely,” according to an article in The BG News. The paper posted this video on YouTube:
Occupy Bowling Green has a Facebook page, a Twitter account, and no single leader, since all decisions are to be made with a 90 percent group consensus. Meetings are to be held twice daily at noon and 7 p.m.
A post on the group’s Facebook page by Errol Lam says, “Our purpose is to express solidarity with Occupy Wall Street and to come together as people who are tired of stagnant politics that ignore the 99%. This will be ongoing, change is slow, but we’ve got time on our side.”
City officials have not interfered with the protest, according to an article in the Sentinel-Tribune.
Bowling Green Public Safety Director John Fawcett said the city was taking “a hands-off” approach and will “allow them to express their beliefs.”
Wes Stiner sweeps area near tents. (Photo: J.D. Pooley/Sentinel-Tribune)
“While the city hasn’t given any formal permission to occupy Community Commons, we will allow them to stay there. We will get involved only if they do anything disorderly or would be a hazard to themselves or others.”
From a First Amendment perspective, this movement raises a lot of interesting questions:
- Freedom of Assembly: How far can protesters go in “occupying” public spaces? Do police have the right to make them leave? See this analysis by ProPublica. The New York Civil Liberties Union provides another perspective.
- Is the need to clean city parks a good enough reason to make protesters move?
- Is this “occupation” akin to civil rights sit-ins?
- Short of camping out, what other options do protesters have?
- What do you predict will happen in Bowling Green? Will there be a conflict between protesters and police? What legal restrictions could be applied?
- Freedom of Speech: What rights do people have to speak their mind about their concerns? Does “speech” in this case extend to using loudspeakers, banging drums, etc.?
- Freedom of the Press: Media coverage has grown – at one point being equal to early coverage of the Tea Party movement.
- Is the media fairly representing the movement? Or is the “liberal media” fostering the movement, as some have charged? How should the media cover this?
- Freedom of Petition: The First Amendment guarantees the right to petition for a redress of grievances. In what way does this movement make use of that freedom? (See First Amendment Center post.) Who is being petitioned here?
- Lastly, Will it Work? The New York Times asks if the movement will be effective and has several people respond in this Room for Debate piece.
27 thoughts on “Occupy Bowling Green”
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October 26th, 2011 at 9:56 am
I don’t think there will be any conflict between the protesters in downtown BG and the police. I had not read the article in the BG News and was happy to see the city was allowing this to happen with no issues unless something destructive develops. This does help these people practice their right to Assemble. This isn’t violent or disruptive, instead it is a peaceful protest that supposedly doesn’t end. It’s a new idea but there isn’t anything wrong with it. It’s similar to the Civil Rights Sit-ins and may indeed bring about some results and achieve some goals for the people involved.
The Media should cover this, and is not fostering the movement while being “Liberal.” if anything, they don’t seem to take it too seriously. As it grows and becomes more popular, than they will start to listen but at the beginning the media treated this protest more like a joke or amusing attempt to change the country. But it’s starting to work now.
October 27th, 2011 at 8:37 am
I absolutely believe that the Occupy movement is akin to Civil Rights sit-ins. In the Civil Rights movement, sit-ins were employed to provide a constant, visible presence of those supporting an issue. Those people would not go away until their demands were acknowledged and met. The Occupy movement is doing the same thing. This disenchanted group of Americans is demanding notice and change from the Government. They plan to continue their presence until something is done about the state of affairs they are protesting.
October 27th, 2011 at 6:15 pm
As the “Occupy” movement has grown throughout the country, many people have debated its legitimacy, effectiveness and message. I enjoy listening to the conversations, although I don’t really have an opinion on whether it will succeed or the legality of the protestors’ actions. I have, however, continued to examine the Occupy movement from a news perspective, and I find the story to be fascinating.
I completely believe the media has the right to (and should) cover the Occupy movement. It’s difficult to predict how far it will spread and what impact it will have on the United States. Despite these uncertainties, it’s garnering attention. If journalists dismiss the movement’s legitimacy, and then it grows into something even greater, they will have missed out on an excellent story and informing the public of its presence. That is simply too great of a risk for the media to take.
It isn’t often that Americans see a large-scale example of their first amendment right of assembly, petition and speech acted out in every day life. It also isn’t often that such an example spreads to small towns, providing news outlets the opportunity for an interesting, localized story. The media should exercise its first amendment right to cover this interesting story as it progresses; regardless if the Occupy movement succeeds or not, it would be un-American to do otherwise.
October 27th, 2011 at 7:34 pm
I find the movement Occupy quite interesting. This movement has gained a lot of attention, it has became worldwide. The protesters want to see change from the government and refuse to give up until change is made.
I believe the media should follow this movement. It is rare to see people really put their first amendment rights to use such as the right to assemble, freedom of speech, and petition.To predict the results of this movement would be hard because the effects are endless. I also think its good that the BG police is not interfering with the protest.
October 27th, 2011 at 8:11 pm
I also find the Occupy movement to be quite interesting. The Occupy movement has gained a lot of attention, not only for its message, but also for the reaction. Several people were arrested during the Occupy Wallstreet movement, and it is the responsibility of the media to report this. Due to this reaction from officials, it is also important to understand their perspective on the issue and to understand why they are reacting the way they are. I also believe it is important for the media around the nation to report on the Occupy movement because of its growth potential and it is the duty of the media to report of this newsworthy event and to act as a watchdog.
I don’t think that the movement should be restricted in Bowling Green because so far, there have not been any instances that have made the matter beyond speech. So, I believe that it is good that the police are not getting involved. However, if issues arise, I do believe it is essential that they put an end to it.
October 28th, 2011 at 11:15 am
I think this is very similar to the civil rights movement and sit ins. It reminds me of civil disobedience. Where they would sit and be nonviolent to show their disapproval. The difference is with the occupy movement they are sitting in a public venue where it is allowed whereas blacks weren’
t “allowed” to be in the places they occupied. Another differences is occupy movement is lobbying against something but it doesn’t affect them directly or their basic rights
October 28th, 2011 at 11:16 am
I think this is an important issue for journalist to cover because I think the results from this movement will hopefully change how Wall Street works. The issue is also very newsworthy and has captured the attention of people nationwide.
By journalist acting as a watch dog in this movement is will force police to act with integrity and put pressure on officials on Wall Street to respond to the protestors.
October 28th, 2011 at 4:14 pm
Freedom of speech is hard to define in the sense of what it includes or excludes. As far as loud speakers, drums etc., where is the line drawn? All of these freedoms go hand in hand in the First Amendment and are all being touched on in OccupyBG. I think they are not trying to press their luck with the police and their freedoms but I think they are trying to get their message across without causing harm or acting out. When visiting today, I saw they had pamphlets on the table that said “Know Your Rights.” In reading this, it talked about how to handle situations for example with the police, in which they want you to express your first amendment rights. They have a right to be there and to protest but in a non-violent way. I liked the sign that said No Violence. No Drugs. No Alcohol. This really shows they are there for a reason and are not trying to mess around and act out in a violent way. This gives them more respect then if they were just trying to make a scene instead of spreading the word about exactly why they are there.
October 28th, 2011 at 4:57 pm
Thanks to everyone who came today! Was it what you expected? Were you impressed or not? How did it feel to be there as journalists? Were you uncomfortable? Did your opinion about the movement change after visiting?
Here’s a link to a few photos I posted on Facebook from our outing: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150340310922951.347462.735517950&type=1&l=22d0536628
October 28th, 2011 at 5:14 pm
I did not have a class the period after so I stayed for the rest of the meeting. It seems the police do not have an issue with people staying overnight or camping there, but rather having empty tents said up. They see these as “abandoned” and have threatened to confiscate them. Two officers showed up towards the end to speak about the rally, and also spoke about the tent. I saw those officers not having a problem with the movement, but instead them flexing their muscles at something new and out of the ordinary. I don’t think that there will be much opposition in BG from law enforcement as long as the movement remains clean, cooperative, and peaceful.
If it is a public space, why can’t the public occupy it? If they are not harming the area or others why is it a problem? I’ve read that law enforcement are trying to force out protesters in New York and across the country because of the “cleanliness” issue.
One thing the members of the occupy BG movement are doing is trying to advocate support for credit unions instead of large banks. If no one heard, they had a march at 4 today, directed at the banks in town.
The tea party had a large amount of coverage I think. During its heyday I heard a few things a day about it. I believe that the media is covering this rather fairly. It is a large social movement that continues to grow. Why wouldn’t you cover it? In addition, this is not just a “liberal” issue. It transcends political parties and affects the majority of people in the country.
October 30th, 2011 at 8:21 pm
I thought it was interesting in the one part where the guy and girl from the video said how Occupy BG was for everyone no matter what party.Normally I look at greedy lobbyists on wall street as republican because of their conservative nature. Therefore I found that part interesting as and it made me more intrigued by Occupy BG. Me being from more of the liberal side hates the fact of how rich lobbyists have an effect on what government laws/issues are enacted. I would love to see the Occupy movement have a positive effect on such acts and minimize their existence.
October 30th, 2011 at 8:29 pm
It is good to see more Americans using their First Amendment rights of freedom speech, petition, protest, and press. Based on our survey results from class, and the chilling effect you do not usually see Americans using their freedoms and the movement spreading. I am glad that this protest has gone world wide and hopefully if the protesters stay strong a change will be made. I am also glad to hear that the Bowling Green police department has not interfered with the protest yet and only will get involved if it gets out of hand.
October 30th, 2011 at 9:20 pm
In my opinion I think that the individuals that are occupying the alleyway in Bowling Green are doing exactly what they should be and using their 1st Amendment rights to the best of their ability. They are occupying a public area peacefully, but still getting their point across. I think this occupation of the alleyway is very much like civil rights sit ins. Both were done peacefully, but with the purpose of inflicting change. If the protestors continue to do what they have been doing and not causing a disturbance, then I do not foresee a conflict occurring between the police and those that occupy the alleyway. On the other hand, if the protestors were using loudspeakers or drums that would disturb others than it could be a possibility that the police would get involved.
From what I can tell, the media is doing a good job of not taking a side on the Occupy movement, but are instead just reporting the facts. This is important so the public can learn about what this movement is really about. I think that if protestors continue to petition and get enough followers, that the protest could be successful and cause some kind of change. This may take a long time, but there is always a chance that the protestors will be successful.
October 30th, 2011 at 9:23 pm
I for one think when people are passionate about something that it is really cool. And when they can display their passion in a peaceful manner, it is even better. I was honestly surprised by the calmness and level headedness shown by the people at the Occupy BG area. I for one expected there to be this air of fanaticism around the people who were there. I felt that the guy who spoke initially, while his answer was a tad long winded, that he was a reasonable and intelligent person. Also, the guy with the dreads that I spoke to for a short while was definitely an intelligent and reasonable person.
The dreads guy made some good points about how the wealth is in the hands of a fraction of a percent of the population and how the “1%” of the population has the majority of the resources leaving very little for the rest of the “common” people. I think that the fact that there is such an unbalanced percentage shows that people are greedy. I think there is a mentality in the country to get and get and get and step on everyone you can to obtain the most wealth and money. I think that this is displayed in the fact that people who have money what to keep it within the hands of other people like them who have money as well. I think it is crazy to think about what could be done if the people with the gross majority of the money were to share their wealth, what kind of impact it could have on the national scale and what kind of a difference they could make on the lives of people who have next to nothing.
There was something that someone in our class, I forget who it was, said about a small percentage of people having all the wealth. She said should we not be happy for those wealth people? I for one will never be happy for greedy people who live so lavishly when they could help to solve a larger problem. I do not doubt that most of the wealthy people who have a lot of money have worked hard for their wealth, probably putting in 60+ hours a week for most of their careers. I do not think that this justifies them to keep all that they have to themselves. I am not advocating a communistic system, however I do feel that if people gave a little back of what they have then we could see a very different world.
I think that the Occupy movement is peaceful enough to allow freedoms to remain intact. If they were constantly “disturbing the peace” and hassling people then it would be a different story. But while I may not personally feel the same as the people in the movement, I feel that the Occupy movement in BG is an example of people using their freedoms to attempt to make a change. I found it interesting to hear people yelling at the Occupy people. Many said thing like “get a job” and some shouted obscenities. I think that would actually be s quasi positive thing to hear because it means that you are at least being noticed.
October 30th, 2011 at 10:47 pm
I think what has motivated this movement is a growing dissatisfaction with the theory of trickle down economics, coupled with the (seemingly undeniable) influence of large corporate money in federal decision making. The argument has been for a long time that when wealth is allowed to rise to a very narrow pyramidal top, it will trickle down to the lower, broader levels through investment. This theory seems to be falling on its face, however, at least on paper.
I’m sympathetic to the Occupy movements, but I would be lying if I said I don’t believe there is a good percentage of them who are protesting for the simple sake of protesting and many are preaching against things they don’t fully understand. There have been some very great minds attending and advocating the original site in Manhattan, however, most notably Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz.
Somewhere between the arguments of the Tea Party and the Occupy population lies the real answers to the problems we need to address. It is true that there is a waning degree of personal accountability in our country and as for the student loan debt argument … there are many who built that debt through blatantly irresponsible borrowing from private lenders (much of which is not spent on education, but on “living expenses” which sometimes involves bottomless supplies of beer pong provisions).
The impact of predatory lending cannot be overlooked here either, though. The argument that full-blown, free-market capitalism in which corporations are allowed to operate with as much money lust as they may is the best way to construct a prosperous society is sheer nonsense. The blame is often placed on the individual, but it is overlooked that if enough individuals botch proper financial decision making collectively, it will bring down everyone; eventually, even the richest one percent, because if the surfs beneath them do not have spending money for their products or to pay back their loans, they crash too.
Albert Einstein was once quoted as saying “there are only two things in this world that are infinite: the universe and human folly.” This folly is abound on both sides; surely, I cannot argue to be much better. Government exists to keep human folly in check. Regulations are not the enemy of a free world when they are implemented responsibly and in good merit.
The decision of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission must be reversed; tax loopholes need to be closed (particularly with the taxes on income from investment returns); and tighter regulation must be put back on the banking industry. These are some of the things the Occupy movement needs to start talking about. They need to offer solutions, rather than simply point out problems. It’s easy to criticze; much harder, to remedy.
I know as a journalist I’m supposed to remain more objective on matters. But I am a citizen of this country first.
Last note … Occupy BG felt as though it will never be anything more than a wannabe movement, and I did not hear anything in its coversations that would suggest they will produce any answers. I would love to be wrong, though.
October 30th, 2011 at 11:25 pm
I think the whole Occupy movement can be extremely powerful for individuals. These individuals are using their first amendment rights in a safe, educational manner. With the media covering the Occupy movements the information can reach individuals all over the country, which is free press. The media should be covering the Occupy movements more because this has potential to be a massive movement that can change how people think about a lot of issues.
It is hard to see/ notice how far these movements are going to last, or what is going to come out of them. But I do believe by just making others aware of certain issues is educating them on real issues that they will face now or later, and hopefully encourage them to make a change in their lifestyles. Therefore, I can see why individuals believe this movement will go no where, but each movement needs to start somewhere, and being aware is the most important factor to changing the way people think. This has been a safe assembly, so hopefully by staying peaceful, good will come out of it sooner than later.
October 30th, 2011 at 11:26 pm
I felt that Occupy Bowling Green was a well established event.
I was impressed with the professionalism and knowledge of the speaker that gave us a moment of his time to the group. I felt overall it was a well organized event. What stuck out to me was the pamphlets. I took a moment to read one and it cleary marked out the issues with corporate America. It gave a great outline to what the movement was establishing and gave a foundational source to the points they were making.
I feel that this exercise is important. He understood and spoke about the local impact compared to the national rallies. It is an idea to spark additonal ideas that would catch fire for people that have forgotten the First Amendment rights.
October 30th, 2011 at 11:40 pm
Wow! I can remember in class Wednesday our professor saying this occupy wallstreet could be the movement of our time and I completely agree. Fortunately, for me I was able to actually experience the occupy on wallstreet first hand over fall break when I took a trip to New York City. Just being in the area and seeing people’s faces I felt so inspired, there were people from all walks of life coming together and expressing their right to assemble, speech, etc. I witnessed no violence no hate just people good people standing up against power not afraid to let their voices be heard.
The last movement that I can actually say that I felt this strong of a connection and was inspired by would have to be the civil rights movement. While there have been several others since then, this speaks to me because of my position in society as a black woman. That is why this can be compared to the sit ins. Not being afraid to stand up to those in a position of “power” and letting them know your not going to take a back seat to the nonsense. It angers me to hear and see the news coverage of those persons working in wallstreet and really being upset about “making adjustments.” It is truly amazing to have people come together and fight for something without becoming violent. Being around the movement inspires you to learn more and to stand up for what you believe.
I do believe something will come of this, so often my generation gets a bad wrap for being lazy. With this movement however, I believe we have the opportunity to change that as long as we get involved and participate in this movement some way.
October 31st, 2011 at 12:42 am
The Occupy movement is definitely one of the more interesting movements to occur within the last 25 years in the US. Although its roots seem to be almost mysterious, its still becoming one of the more powerful movements in the country. Strangely, the Occupy movements seem similar to the Tea Party movement. Maybe its more of a “liberal” movement than the Tea Party, but it seems like it has just as much strength and power to bring results to the table.
I hope the Occupy movements do actually bring some sort of change with as much press as they’re getting.
I hold a lot of respect for a group of people like those involved in the Occupy movement because of their actual actions and activism. However, I hope the Occupy movement starts to take more of a clear direction. It will need to in order to be successful.
October 31st, 2011 at 8:28 am
I thought the 99% initiative was fascinating. Most people do not realize that a minority of the nation has the majority of the wealth. Because of this wealth, they also have the majority of the influence. The United States has one of the world’s most significant class divides and it is relatively unknown. I am glad organizations such as Occupy Wall Street and the Bowling Green branch are doing their part to make these issues known. Citizens have the right to know what is going on and, more importantly, they have the right to say it.
October 31st, 2011 at 10:03 am
I found the expierience interesting. It is exciting to me that the issues that Occupy Wall Street is addressing may finally get some resolution. My biggest complaint with the movement is that they have while they are addressing issues that have been a problem for years, they have not offered any resolutions to these problems. I believe that expecting the very people who have brought many of these problems on society, to find solid answers seems to be a fruitless pusuit. The professor who was speaking to us told me that there were many bills in the works with different sectors of the occupy wall street group. I tried to look some of these up but was unable to find them. It did give me hope that even the talk of new policy is in the works. Even though the group was small that we saw, it is inspiring that people were out making a statement. Even if you don’t agree with the movement, how often do you put that much energy into supporting what you believe? I know i don’t sacrifice the amount time out of my life that those individuals were. I think it was refreshing to see people who care about their country and its future. The first amendment is there (in my opinion) for exactly what the “Occupy Wall Street” protesters are doing.
October 31st, 2011 at 11:33 am
I think that the media needs to be careful covering this topic because it can easily be seen as too liberal when covering it. However, just because the media covers the movement, does not mean it supports it.
October 31st, 2011 at 12:13 pm
This “movement” has really gained attention and it is changing the way people think about the government. I think this is a good thing for America because we need to take advantage of our 1st Amendment rights and do something about what are government is doing and try to keep it in check. The media should be covering this all the way to the end to keep people informed on whats happening. The media’s job here is very important because a lot of people want to see if there are any improvements with this protest or if something happens like more police brutality.
October 31st, 2011 at 1:35 pm
I agree with Sarah Bailey. It seems that during the “Occupy ____ Movement” the media has been covering the topic under the idea that “the people protesting don’t know what they want. They’re just protesting.” That is untrue for many reasons. The media needs to avoid that thinking and realize that their job is to report what is said and what is heard, among what is being done. Just because the people protesting do not have a clear message or “mission statement” plastered all over the nation does not mean that they do not know what they want or that they do not have a clear message. The job of the media is to report everything. It will most definitely come off as liberal if they seem like they support it but it will also come off as conservative if they make it seem like the people protesting do not know what they want.
October 31st, 2011 at 11:59 pm
I have been following the Occupy Movement since it started and I think that it is not only awesome, but essential. Whether or not they succeed, they have already accomplished something in that they are changing the conversation in this country. Three months ago all of the talk about politics in the mainstream media was about cutting social programs (social security, Medicare, food stamps etc.), but now people are talking about wealth inequality and the influence of corporate money in politics. That change in the national dialouge is great in my opinion. The Movement has remained peaceful on the part of the protesters and I think it will remain that way. Anyone involved in the Movement knows that if they give in to their angry urges and become violent that the Movement loses all credibility. I think that in BG the police will stay cool as long as the protesters do, because right now the protesters are getting a lot of support from the community, and at the end of the day the police are also part of the 99 percent. I think the media has not been too liberal at covering the Movement at all. In fact, I would argue just the oppisite of that. Everytime you see a story about the Movement on the news they try to downplay the size of the crowds that these rallies are drawing. They also try to sterotype all of the protesters as hippies, and that is just not true. I feel like sometimes the media is so afraid of being labeled as liberal that they go out of their way to prove that they’re not, and the result is that they end up skewing their coverage to a conservative angle.
November 4th, 2011 at 1:18 am
It seems like that one alley in town is reserved for whatever free speech people want to do. Seems kind of shoved to the side, but at least these people have a spot to do their thing. While this isn’t as powerful as the Civil Rights sit-ins, I think that this kind of is the same concept of that. This movement is essentially the textbook example of exercising First Amendment rights, as we witnessed the protesters use right to freely assemble, as well speak freely. I don’t think this movement will lead to violence in BG, and I’m not sure if the movement as a whole will change anything, but the concept of it is for sure fascinating.
November 4th, 2011 at 3:29 pm
I agree with Alissa; watching the Occupy movement progress and expand beyond Wall Street is definitely facsinating. It’s not often that students and the general public get to see First Amendment rights in action on such a large scale. Because of the fact that such a large, grassroots movement is taking place now, it seems the responsibility of the media to report it.
So far, media such as the USA Today, New York Times, and even the Sentinel Tribune and the BG News are covering various aspects of the movement to give people a broader understanding of the issues surrounding the protests. On the other hand, it is interesting to note that the Web sites for each Occupy movement are so similar that they are portraying the same mission and goals. From a public relations standpoint, these protesters are doing an excellent job connecting each movement to one common “Occupy Together” message.
Unfortunately, “peaceful protests” often turn in to something completely different. Recently, there has been violent protesting in Oakland. While we have read a great deal about police brutality, what message does it send when the protesters start breaking the Wells Fargo’s windows to make a statement and petition for a change?