Solving Economic Inequality: An Occupy Movement for this Moment?

Were you one of the hundreds of thousands of people on the streets during the Occupy movement? For many the movement was a political awakening, as people rallied to end economic inequality and support democracy in response to the 2008 global financial crisis. On this 13th anniversary, how does the spirit of Occupy live on? And what progress — if any — has been made when it comes to the wealth gap? Joining us for that conversation is Marisa Holmes, author of the recently released book “Organizing Occupy Wall Street: This Is Just Practice” and director of “All Day All Week: An Occupy Wall Street Story” which looks at the takeover of Zuccotti Park in New York City in September 2011. Also joining us is Taifa Smith Butler, President of Dēmos, a public policy organization working to build a multiracial democracy and economy. Previously she was a leader at the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute. Award-winning journalist Amir Khafagy returns to co-host this episode. Our guests explore the links between economic inequality and authoritarianism and ask how far we've come as a nation to create structural, policy and practice-based changes on the economic front. How can we create a people-led economy that will lead to collective power? All that, plus a commentary from Laura.

“Dēmos has always talked about the inextricable links of economic power and political power. As I think about where we are historically with the retraction of resources, with the threat of authoritarianism and fascism and this demographic shift that is happening in our nation and the inequality that continues to proliferate, if we do nothing, we'll be looking at apartheid in America.” - Taifa Smith Butler

“During Occupy, we really rejected representative politics because it seemed not responsive to people's needs . . . So we just thought, ‘We're going to do this ourselves’. We have to build alternatives ourselves from the bottom up through mutual aid networks . . . That's what I think is going to transform the economy . . .” - Marisa Holmes

“Occupy was one of the most important things that ever happened to my life. I was maybe 21, 22 years old . . . I was just a kid from Queens, and that was the beginning of my political awakening.” - Amir Khafagy

GUESTS:
Taifa Smith Butler: President, Dēmos
Marisa Holmes: Author, Organizing Occupy Wall Street
Amir Khafagy (Co-host): Journalist, Report for America Member, Documented

Laura Flanders & Friends is non-commercial independent media that relies on the contributions of viewers and listeners.

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CREDITS:
Executive Producer: Laura Flanders
Supervising Producer: Sabrina Artel
Senior Consulting Producer: Rory O’Connor
Senior Video Editor: David Neumann
Audio Director: Jeannie Hopper
Development Director: Sarah Miller
Communications Director: Janet Hernandez
Executive Assistant: Nady Piña
Technical Creative: Nat Needham

Thumbnail photo via "All Day All Week: An Occupy Wall Street Story".

00:00 – Intro
04:30 – Remembering the Occupy Wall Street Movement
7:06 – Combating Inequality and Inequity
11:53 – Anarchism and Democracy
14:20 – What We Can Do As the Majority
20:13 – Pessimism & Coming Together for a Peoples’ Economy

[matthewepperson]

Occupy your workplace! Form a worker co-op, join a union, or even start with a conversation with a coworker about decision making and power. We all have something to do here.

[koltoncrane]

It’s so dumb they occupied wallstreet when they should have occupied the federal reserve as that’s where the power lies. I specifically remember they interviewed Peter schiff who described things and answered questions as he was a rich guy that took to the streets during occupy Wall Street. You may not agree with everything he says but he does a good job of explaining or speculating on the second and third derivative consequences of government and private central bank interventions in the economy. His dad wrote a book and went to jail for believing income tax was unconstitutional or something. I do agree the estate tax is unconstitutional as that’s a direct tax that’s not apportioned among the states like the constitution says.

Wallstreet owns the federal reserve, but it’s the federal reserve that always bails out Wall Street. If you banished the private central bank then we can get back to semi free market capitalism. As long as there’s a central bank we’ll have mass corruption and wealth inequality. Remember the central bank was made for Wall Street by Wall Street not for wealth equality. But real Capitalism believes in depressions and recessions to wipe out bad debt and hold risk takers accountable if they’re bad at management.

A lot of monopolies exist today because we have a private central bank that kept interest rates going ever lower.
capitalism sold out to corporations or monopolies when bankers and politicians established a cartel in 1913 making the third privately owned federal reserve. They pay a 6% dividend to wallstreet and a 90% franchise tax to the treasury.

[ggris]

Capitalism has sold out to Corporations. The 1999 film "Fight Club" called it out in many parts throughout the movie. You may remember the line, "When deep space exploration ramps up, it'll be the corporations that name everything, the IBM Stellar Sphere, the Microsoft Galaxy, Planet Starbucks." The corporations will also own everything and everyone in one way or the other. Our trajectory is frightening!

[theicyridge]

Another great thoughtful and intelligent conversation. Thank you.

[pamstubbs]

My late mother predicted the 2008 crisis in 2002...

[hafunland]

My wife and I LOVE Laura Flanders, period!

[pamstubbs]

My mother grew up in that era in the 1930's..

[frankray]

working class has to unite and organize and continue the fight. In our capitalistic system, there will be an economic crisis every 8 to 10 years. democrats and Republicans I just different sides of the same coin. We need to get the money out of politics and elect politicians that work for the people.
#jillstein2024

[michelledemers]

Stein/Ware 2024 campaign speaks to these issues. Check it out.