Bergen County Joins The Occupy Movement

This past Saturday I met with three friends at a local coffee shop to discuss the Occupy Wall Street movement and how it might manifest in Bergen County. Those friends were Rev. Allison Moore, rector of The Church of the Good Shepherd Episcopal in Fort Lee who has long been active in social justice issues such as the plight of AIDS victims and battered women; Paul Eisenman, chairman of Bergen Grassroots, a progressive political organization, aligned with New Jersey for Democracy (NJ4D) and Democracy for America (DFA); and Peggy Crisalli, a peace activist from Fort Lee. All of us share in common the hope that change for the better might transpire in our immediate communities as a result of the OWS movement that has sparked change globally.

It seems natural that the Occupy movement that started in cities should now filter out to the suburbs. It also makes sense that in the suburbs, this movement will once again take new form, a form particular to the orientations and level of awareness of residents there. But the issues that affect us, or most of us, the 99 percent, will remain the same.

OWS has already shown its face in New Jersey, in Passaic County, in Wayne, and, in Bergen County, in Teaneck, where about 50 people assembled to protest in Milton Votee Park on November 17, the second month anniversary of OWS New York City.

Bergen County, one of the highest income counties in the country, and New Jersey’s most populous, with a population of close to one million, is composed of towns such as Englewood,Teaneck, Hackensack, Paramus, Englewood Cliffs and Fort Lee that are rapidly growing and becoming increasingly diverse.

Rapid growth and diversity often result in inequalities. The idea that there are burgeoning social and economic inequalities and injustices affecting most of us due to an imbalance of power is the root notion behind the key slogan of the movement – We are the 99 percent! Raising consciousness about inequalities and injustice, and opening up possibilities for individuals to take action and help create solutions in their own communities will continue to be at the heart of the OWS movement, wherever it manifests.

The OWS movement is unique in several ways: in being composed of individuals of all ages, backgrounds and beliefs; in the immediacy of its protests, and its organic nature of evolution. While no one can say exactly where the movement is going, those involved in it have great faith in its direction and efficacy. The movement remains most remarkable for its solidarity in the midst of diversity, and its nonviolence in the face of violence from authorities. For example: The way that peaceful students at UC Davis chose to respond to police after being pepper-sprayed, and the way students beaten with police batons in Oakland chose to respond was by chanting, “Shame, shame,” and “Stop beating up students."

The general level of nonviolence and solidarity of OWS set it apart from the movements of the 1960s, which also aimed to raise consciousness. Unlike the sit-ins of the 1960s, where protestors primarily occupied spaces, the OWS movement activists have quickly created models and constantly work toward solutions. The spaces OWS occupies have become vital networks, instruments of change.

This is a transparent, palpable revolution in the making, and, like moss rolling in a storm, it will embrace everyone and everything as it moves forward.

A discussion about OWS in Bergen County will take place at the monthly meeting of Bergen Grassroots on Wednesday, Nov. 30th at 7 p.m. at The Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County at 687 Larch Avenue, in Teaneck. The meeting is open to the public.

Download the movie