What is Occupy Wall Street in simple terms?

What is Occupy Wall Street in simple terms?

Occupy Wall Street (OWS) was a protest movement against economic inequality and the influence of money in politics that began in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City’s Wall Street financial district, in September 2011. It gave rise to the wider Occupy movement in the United States and other countries.

What is an occupation vs a protest?

Unlike other forms of protest like demonstrations, marches and rallies, occupation is defined by an extended temporality and is usually located in specific places. In many cases local governments declare occupations illegal because protesters seek to control space over a prolonged time.

What does Occupy mean in politics?

The Occupy movement was an international populist socio-political movement that expressed opposition to social and economic inequality and to the lack of perceived “real democracy” around the world. It aimed primarily to advance social and economic justice and different forms of democracy.

What do you know about Wall Street?

Wall Street is used as an umbrella term to describe the financial markets and the companies that trade publicly on exchanges throughout the U.S. Wall Street has been the historic headquarters of some of the largest U.S. brokerages and investment banks and is also the home of the New York Stock Exchange.

What does it mean when a city is occupied?

(of a country, city, or other place) filled with or run by people, esp. an army, who have moved in and taken control or possession: occupied territories.

Is an occupation illegal?

It is widely agreed that the phenomenon of occupation is not illegal per se. 9 Most proponents of the notion of illegal occupation link the illegality of an occupation to an occupant’s violation of either the prohibition on the use of force or of the right of peoples to self-determination.

What does Occupy mean history?

to take possession and control of (a place), as by military invasion.

Where did the Occupy movement start?

The first Occupy protest to receive widespread attention, Occupy Wall Street in New York City’s Zuccotti Park, began on 17 September 2011. By 9 October, Occupy protests had taken place or were ongoing in over 951 cities across 82 countries, and in over 600 communities in the United States.