CRAZYLAND: OCCUPY WALLSTREET

Words by fayemi shakur | Images by Akintola Hanif

Mainstream media has attempted to minimize the importance of the Occupy Wall 
Street movement, focusing on “the crazies” at the demonstrations. Some of them are impossible to ignore.

“It's kinda hard to go the circus and not see the elephants,” says HYCIDE Editor in Chief, Akintola Hanif, who photographed these protestors at New York’s Zuccotti Park.

It’s true. Fed up with unemployment and corruption, protesters are taking over streets, banks and even bridges, some in fanatical ways. In Portland, Oregon, protestors staged a zombie attack on a Bank of America branch to protest bank loans to coal mining companies contributing to climate change and global warming.

Critics say the protesters are misguided and lack the vision to force any real reform that impacts the way greedy corporations and banks do business. Even some people who are sympathetic to the protestors are put off by the costumes and drama.

But protestors have picked the right target. The "circus" atmosphere and the violent response by police have raised awareness about inequality. Protests have popped off across the country, capturing the attention of the world. Messages of support have been sent to protesters from as far as Cairo.

The so-called drunks and crazies have been joined by teachers, airplane pilots, war veterans, mothers, children, and people of color, despite the occupation’s initial lack of diversity. The call to the 99 percent is being heard. Thousands of people across the country have closed accounts at banks resulting in millions of dollars being transferred to credit unions.

The style of protesting in these images is called performance art or street theater and is used as a weapon, a form of social protest. Whether or not it's effective is debatable.

The images of zombies and fake blood might be a bit over the top for some. But people need to express themselves, especially when the powers that be aren't listening. When the companies that represent only 1% of the wealth in America have benefited from government bailouts and tax breaks that have put a choke hold on the economy, protest doesn't always happen in a way that makes sense to everyone. It can't be denied that Occupy Wall Street has sparked major dialogue and debate including criticisms about the need for a strong agenda and demands beyond a call for economic equality.

Sometimes, people just want to be seen and heard, and for the real perpetrators of corruption to be called out. So, maybe getting a little crazy has its merits. Although I can’t imagine Rosa Parks and her comrades rocking V for Vendetta masks while walking home from work during the 60’s Civil Rights bus boycotts, remember, some people thought they too were out of their minds for having the audacity to issue a call for change.