Health & Fitness
Occupy Fort Lee?
How are the lives of Fort Lee residents shaped by global and national economic forces? How could we not only expose some problems but address them constructively, publicly and cooperatively?
Nov. 17 marks the two-month anniversary of Occupy Wall Street. Protesters are regrouping after being temporarily evicted, and plans for the two-month mark are multiplying by the instant. I understand those who say they need a clear agenda, and those who say it’s ineffective, but I am glad that someone is calling attention to how economic forces shape life in this country.
Ad hominem attacks of all the protesters as "losers," or all unemployed college students as just not smart or prepared or in the right field (whatever that is) miss the point. Myths of meritocracy and equal opportunity fly in the face of the experiences of many folks who work very hard to no avail when wages stagnate, factories are closed, banks merge, and employers’ decisions are shaped by stereotypes of ethnicity or gender.
It made me wonder what an “Occupy Fort Lee” movement might look like. My daughter suggested that students boycott schools without adequate classroom space.
Find out what's happening in Fort Leewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
I imagined folks who are available during the day going to repair homes of longtime Fort Lee residents who are slowly being taxed out of the homes they own, so they can’t afford to fix their roof or crumbling sidewalks. Or neighbors loudly banging pans in front of houses or in apartment halls where they have regularly heard someone being beaten.
How about roving gangs of people dragging trash cans and recycling bins to pick up litter, while other people plant flowers wherever they notice an ugly corner—the space in front of the VFW is an excellent example of town beautification.
Find out what's happening in Fort Leewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
What about recent college grads, still without jobs, lining up in front of banks to renegotiate their student loans. Or posting the rent of all the empty businesses in town, or a description of what kind of income is required to make businesses flourish. Actions like this would simultaneously bring some oft-hidden problems to light and let people share their energy, time and skills with their neighbors.
Imagine...
Anyone want to think of an easily achievable public action that would benefit the town for Dec. 17, the three month-mark? Let’s talk!
