It was Saturday afternoon when we were driving through
downtown Austin. As a new resident I always like to see park and take a walk
through just so I can say I’ve been there and feel more like a local. We saw
the tents and people sleeping on the sidewalk and I asked if they were in line
to buy Van Halen tickets perhaps. My fiancée advised me this was actually the Occupy
Austin aka Occupy Wall Street. To me it just seemed as if that’s about all they
were doing… occupying the street.
I came home to google more information so I could find out
just what was the point for Occupy Austin. According to this article, http://www.statesman.com/opinion/occupy-austins-eviction-from-city-hall-was-timely-2155182.html found on the website for the Austin American Statesman, the protesters were removed from City Hall on 2/3/12. The article
explains that the Occupy Wall Street movement began in New York in September
2011. Apparently the entire point of it all was to put a spot light on income
inequality. The protesters were supposed to represent the 99% of Americans that
are not rich. They also said that they were being denied their ability to voice
their opinions through free speech.
However, they are indeed free to speak their mind without sleeping on the south plaza’s steps every night for weeks at a time. Yes, it makes sense that homelessness is an important issue that needs to be addressed. However, it cost the city an additional $800,000 for police patrol and sanitation. Not to mention the amount of money nearby businesses lost from patrons avoiding the area because of the protesting. The most important issue in the article is not just in regards to Occupy Austin but the bigger picture, voting.
People who complain about policies usually don’t understand the issues at hand. In this era, we have more access to information than ever before. If there’s something we don’t understand, Google is just a few clicks away. Just like the protestors, instead of just occupying space, we too should become organized, informed and actually turn out for voting day. There will be a city council meeting on February 16, 2012. Will you be there?
However, they are indeed free to speak their mind without sleeping on the south plaza’s steps every night for weeks at a time. Yes, it makes sense that homelessness is an important issue that needs to be addressed. However, it cost the city an additional $800,000 for police patrol and sanitation. Not to mention the amount of money nearby businesses lost from patrons avoiding the area because of the protesting. The most important issue in the article is not just in regards to Occupy Austin but the bigger picture, voting.
People who complain about policies usually don’t understand the issues at hand. In this era, we have more access to information than ever before. If there’s something we don’t understand, Google is just a few clicks away. Just like the protestors, instead of just occupying space, we too should become organized, informed and actually turn out for voting day. There will be a city council meeting on February 16, 2012. Will you be there?
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