The Occupy Movement Is Where You Sleep

Last Wednesday about 30 people from Fort Lee, Teaneck, Mahwah, Maywood and other Bergen County municipalities met at The Ethical Culture Society in Teaneck to discuss the OWS movement in Bergen County. While diverse points of view from left to right of the largely Democratic, progressive spectrum were expressed during the two-hour meeting, what seems to concern people most regarding OWS is not its politics or agenda, neither of which is apparent, but its power and presence, both of which are undeniably felt. The Occupy movement hasn’t gone away, even if some encampments have been laid to rest. It’s just been folded up and passed along.

And it’s here now.

For those who may not know what issues plague Americans, issues that fired up OWS, I’ll reiterate them in the words of Alan Grayson, a former Democratic representative from Florida, who recently summed them up during a televised panel:

We shouldn’t have 24 million people who can’t find fulltime jobs. We shouldn’t have 50 million people who can’t see a doctor when they’re sick. We shouldn’t have 47 million people who need government help to feed themselves. And we shouldn’t have 15 million families who owe more on their mortgage than the value of their home. OCCUPY Wall Street came into existence because many people recognized these inequities, and they camped out on Wall Street because in 2008, Wall Street wrecked the economy, and no one there has yet to be indicted.

That’s simple language, but it strikes the core of what is true. Injustice exists in all corners of America, and proponents of OWS hope to uproot wrongs and offer some solutions, according to models already established by the movement.

According to Bergen Grassroots, a progressive group started in March, 2006, the main issue in Bergen County is pay-to-play reform. While New Jersey has a strong pay-to-play reform law at the state level, at the local level, it is weak, and taxpayers are suffering.

“Pay-to-play is the costly practice of trading campaign contributions for government contracts,” said Bergen Grassroots Chairman Paul Eisenman. Corruption among politicians must end before the real work begins, he contends.

Bergen Grassroots supports a pay-to-play ordinance, drawn up by The Citizens Campaign, a non-profit organization, that was voted on by a narrow 4 to 3 vote at the last Freeholders’ meeting. It is up for vote again this Wednesday, Dec. 7, at the 8 p.m. Freeholders’ meeting at 1 Bergen Plaza in Hackensack. Those supporting the ordinance are urged to attend the meeting.

But pay-to-play reform is not everyone’s foremost interest or cause, and those at the meeting for OWS Bergen County expressed varying points of view on this and other topics. Space and conversation are top priorities for an Occupy Movement that would hope to reach a diverse population, numbering about 950,000, in Bergen County.

The OWS Movement has from the first been challenged by media and others to establish an agenda. Some of those present at the Occupy Bergen County meeting said, “Why should we cater to the media? We are the media.”

Should Bergen County’s Occupy Movement have an agenda?

Steve Mosca of Maywood observed, “Everyone expects the 99 percent to have an agenda, but the 1 percent doesn’t even have one. Why should we?”

OWS got people talking, engaging in dialogue about important issues, but work will vary according to the needs of regions. Youth and their concerns have been at the center of the movement, but the dialogue is ever-changing and involves a diverse lot. Bruce Gionet, a filmmaker who hosted Occupy Votee Park in Teaneck on Nov. 17,  said young people, their needs, goals and priorities, are his focus.

Amy Heller, a longtime activist from Harrington Park, said, “What is most important is that we consider ourselves a part of this and engage in conversation.”

OCCUPY Bergen County is scheduled to meet again on December 28 at 7 p.m. at The Ethical Culture Society at 687 Larch Avenue in Teaneck. The public is welcome to attend.

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