While the concept of “Occupy Chicago” may be beautiful in theory given the need for change in government, it seems the movement that has branched throughout the U.S. is only adding to governments’ wealth.
“Occupy” Basics
Occupy Wall street began as a public demonstration of outrage for the war in Afghanistan and the wealthy 1 percent using dirty practices to control the flow of money through corporate America. The “Occupy” protestors also believe the elite one percent led to the recession that has forced millions of American’s out of jobs.
“Occupy Chicago” funds Chicago government
While their approach may be to change the way financial institutions and government do business, it seems these protests are only adding to their wealth through fees gained from arrests. In the wee hours today, 175 Occupy Chicago protestors were arrested for trespassing. The police had warned the camping protestors in Grant Park that they were trespassing and would soon start arresting if needed, and 90 minutes later did just that.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Occupy Chicago protestors were announcing they would be back the next day. Some even began to chant, “Shame on Rahm” for kicking them out of the park when New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg allowed the Occupy protestors to stay overnight.
Occupy protestors have been arrested in many cities, but one would think the Occupy Chicago protestors would be slightly more responsible when it comes to handing money over to the Chicago government that has come under fire for being corrupt. A typical municipal fine for trespassing in Chicago ranges from $100 up to $500. Multiply that by 175 and the city of Chicago will make thousands of dollars if they follow through on every charge. In addition to the arrests made last night, dozens more were arrested last week in Chicago as well as other cities.
Despite the arrests, Occupy Chicago has continued to grow and capture a diverse audience, but with Chicago’s zero tolerance stance the movement needs to be careful not to send the wrong message with arrests that only benefit the machine they are fighting against.