OWS gains momentum

On Friday, I was assigned to attend yet another Health Fair on Wall Street - the second in as many weeks. I was surprised to see that the NYPD had set up cordons around a PUBLIC street and was asking for badges (employee ID's) and/or ID's. I was most surprised - shocked even, that at 9.30 on a Friday morning on an innocuous day in October, the NYPD would take such a tack.

Many of the employees of Wall Street seemed pleased at not having to deal with the annoying, pesky flies in their mega bucks ointment, with their pressed blouses and heels, and starched shirts and designer suits. They showed their ID's and waltzed through as though they had not a care in the world.

I was not quite sure how to approach my particular situation, knowing full well that I had no employee badge, but every credible right to be there.

I approached a camerawoman from New York Post.com - she is not affiliated with the rag, rather she claims to be from a reputable news show. I have googled the website she gave me, but all I can come up with is the tabloid esque paper. She was not able to get onto Wall Street at that time, per se, rather was relegated to filming from the other side of the barricades. I found that to be quite remarkable given that she had press credentials.

I summoned my courage and recalled all of those difficult times and altercations I had in the Salt Lake City Mayor's office. I walked stridently up to the police officer and indicated that while I did not work on Wall Street, nor did I have, as such, an employee ID badge, I had business there. He gruffly told me to walk along and talk with his colleagues who were keeping guard further down the street.

I explained my story further and was granted access. Were I not on the clock, I would have gone down to the park and tried to interview folks on Friday but that was not the case. As fate would have it, my colleague who speaks some English but not great English, was waving to me from the "checkpoint charlie" area, trying to get my attention - the powers that be realized I was walking with a cane and allowed him to approach me with the rolling case of glass samples.

On my way home, I purposely walked past the park and past Chase One Plaza because I wanted to see again what was taking place during this amazing time in our lives.

It has been said that Chase is paying for the over $2 million in overtime that NYC has paid out to cops thus far and I have to say I have no reason to disbelieve this. I can tell you that the P.D. is getting weary - they are constantly yelling - "move along" "don't block the sidewalk" "not everyone wants to be here" - maybe so, but there are plenty of people who do and they are sporting peace signs and thinking of John Lennon and Bob Marley.

In tribute to these two great men whom we lost much too young, I stopped off at an artist's booth and spent my last $35 on NY city mini photographs made to look like Bob Marley and John Lennon respectively.

One love.

Walll Street dichotomies

As you may recall, I work as a marketing consultant in the downtown area of the Financial District. As such, on occasion, I am called upon to attend health fairs at various businesses in the Wall Street area.

This week, I happened to be in the Trump Tower around its wealth, opulence and grandeur. I was not impressed and was, in fact disturbed to see the aforementioned over the top grandeur, particularly in this day and age. I am not for one moment suggesting that The Donald, aka would be President, redocorate any of his ueber buildings, but I am writing this piece to address what I can only call dichotomies of the time in which we live.

For the past 20 days I have been riveted to the main street and alternative media's coverage of the protests on Wall Street. Last week at another health fair, an associate noted that while she is 100% behind the protestors, she cannot afford to get arrested. While I did not concur outwardly, I groaned inwardly at what is happening so very close to the freedom towers and the former Ground Zero where so many lives were lost some ten years ago.

We are in a fight for America and the middle class is losing this war. This nightmare that began with greedy Wall Street bankers and financiers has now snowballed into some 700 protestors being arrested in one weekend on one hand and according to one left-leaning publication, bankers and financiers sipping champagne while they watch the "minions" below, wondering what they are so upset about.

I tried to have a conversation with a financial/management consultant on the situation this week. His assesment is simple: he does not know what the protesting is about nor does he know what the demands of the protestors are.

I would assert that it matters not one whit what the demands are of the protestors, only that we know the source of their discontent. They have been fleeced dry and they are mad as hell and not willing to take it any more.

They want billionaires and Wall Streeters to pay their share and STOP forcing the American public to be held hostage to their whims, bonuses, stock options and golden parachutes.

I shall be reporting on Saturday from Wall Street live streaming on Political Context at Blog Talk Radio and hope to have you listening.

The times are changing and I for one welcome the change