NEIU Students and Faculty Occupy Chicago

For the past five weeks, Chicagoans have taken to the streets to be a part of the recent "Occupy" movement. Participants come from a wide range of backgrounds; from housewives, to small business owners. As with many of the groups of "occupiers" across the country, this group also contains a large number of college students. Finding NEIU students and faculty among those counted as "Occupiers" is no exception. On a temperate fall Saturday evening, two participants in particular were found among the throng of protestors chanting, "We are the 99%", Educational Leadership Graduate student Angel Velez, and Environmental Studies Professor Abhijit Banerjee. 

"It's important to show your support for this important issue right now, not just for the U.S., but for the whole world. The fact that politics is completely taken over by corporate interests, we're talking about the banking industry, the oil industry… I don't think there are specific or narrow demands. It's been brought to our attention that politics shouldn't be taken over by such powerful interests," says Professor Banerjee about the reason why he and others are occupying. Organizers for Occupy Chicago have come up with a 12 point list of demands that are meant to be the central idea behind the reasons for occupying, but many of the protestors either don't know about them, or are wary of narrowing the focus for fear of exclusion.

Forbes magazine contributor, Peter Leeds wrote in the October 11 issue, ‘Whether you are for Occupy Wall Street or against it, there is no question that they would have more success with one clear over-arching goal, which would solidify support, and serve as a marker for progress.' His sentiment is that of many of what Occupiers are calling, the ‘one percent'. Regarding goals and demands, Occupier, Sarah Witford of Chicago says, "I think the demands are very clear – economic justice. If you try to put everything this diverse group wants into one or two demands, you're gonna lose the strength. Not having one set of demands is where our strength comes from, because anybody can come and ask the government for a redress of our grievances."

Despite the protests being peaceful ones with no violence or public indiscretions, many Occupiers are employing a variety of tactics to bring more attention to the movement in an effort to make sure that the messages are being heard. From beating large, up-ended plastic vats with huge logs, to offering themselves up for a night in jail or being maced – no tactic has proven too extreme in ensuring that the messages of the 99 percent are heard. On Sunday October 16, 2011 at 1:30 am Angel Velez says that he was arrested for breaking a city ordinance for, "staying in a Chicago Park District Park (Grant Park) after 11pm". He was one of many who made the choice to go to jail for the cause. "Arrest won't deter me, we have to be persistent. Its reality, we're going to keep coming here and doing what we have to do. We can't be quiet," Velez said.

Regarding the arrest, Student Trustee Winston Rysdahl stated, "I support the Occupy Chicago movement, I understand the importance of it." But not many people join in that sentiment. Current presidential candidate Herman Cain stated in an interview, "I don't have facts to back this up, but I happen to believe that these demonstrations are planned and orchestrated to distract from the failed policies of the Obama administration. Don't blame Wall Street, don't blame the big banks, if you don't have a job and you're not rich, blame yourself! [...] It is not someone's fault if they succeeded; it is someone's fault if they failed."

The question then becomes what about students like Velez? He is currently a graduate assistant at Proyecto Pa'Lante, his duties include engaging in research at the program as well as to understand the Latino student dropout rate at NEIU.  The 25 year old Logan Square resident has also made his mark in the arena of community service. At Total Resources Involvement Benefiting Everyone, Inc. (T.R.I.B.E.) he worked diligently to mentor at-risk youth in Charter Schools to provide them with life skills, so they could be successful throughout their lives. His work is a testament to his commitment for social change.

Angel Velez's involvement in the Occupy movement began three weeks ago, "because I'm a graduate student, I don't have a lot of time to do the community organizing that I was doing before, so this is a great way for me to contribute to society," Valez said. His reasons for participating in Occupy Chicago are in line with the reasons of many others. None of the reasons seem to suggest that they are jealous of people who are financially successful as many opponents of the movement have suggested. Just that the disparities and gaps between the wealthy and impoverished – despite their efforts, is unjust.

 "First of all I joined it because of my background in Justice Studies…I learned how to question society and the system we live in. Occupy Chicago is questioning a big part of our system. It questions the greed of corporations and their ideals in regards to profits." Velez went on to explain, "it affects me directly as a person… Every day, I am reminded that rich people make billions of dollars every year, while I only make $550 a month. It is unacceptable! I see many broken schools in our poor neighborhoods and don't understand why they can't share their wealth with poor people so we can better our schools and our communities. An example [of this] would be people who are working in top executive positions at corporations and people who are working the factory… The people working in executive positions at corporations can afford everything, while the factory worker can't even afford the product they are making. That is a serious flaw of the system."

Velez hopes that students can be their own researcher, look up the information about income disparities and why there is an Occupy movement for themselves, "after you find the information make the decision whether or not you want to join the cause", he suggests.  Information regarding the reasons behind the Occupy movement can be found in many places. Occupier Sarah Witford suggests that the information could be found in your next social conversation, "two months ago, they were only talking about deficit and budget cuts, and now they're talking about income inequality. We're now having an honest discussion about income inequality for the first time in 30 years."

As Occupiers chant,  "One – we are the people, Two – we are united, Three – the occupation is not leaving," their message is being written into the annals of history. Let it forever be remembered that members of the NEIU community were there to contribute to the cause, "Over 4,000 people protesting and people were there for different causes that stemmed from corporate greed. I felt a sense of solidarity and an understanding of a general purpose." Velez noticeable retreated into himself and then continued saying, "the media portrays us as a leaderless movement, but we are a movement made of leaders."

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