By Brett A. Mejia ’13
THE ROUNDUP
Over the past three months protestors have agglomerated in the Wall Street financial district of New York City, causing much debate.
This protest was given the title “Occupy Wall Street,” to raise awareness of the increasing divide between the rich and poor.
This protest has inspired people across the United States to take action in their own states.
“I am unhappy with how the government is handling the financial crisis we have had for the last two years,” said math teacher Mr. Patrick O’Neill. “We have to have reasonable financial regulations, but we also have to pay attention to what the finance reforms will do to the smaller people and not just what it is going to do to the banks and the financial institutions.”
Protests have reached Arizona and become local discussion points.
Out of 10 Brophy teachers asked, the majority said that they were in between the issue of whether or not the protests are necessary.
“I am certainly for it, it is everyone’s right to express themselves,” said English and history teacher Mr. Lane McShane ’82. “It is certainly not … something new. There are a lot of people who are unemployed; their savings have been completely lost or, even worse yet, stolen according to the way they look at maybe what is going on in Wall Street, but compare it to the depression of the 1930s those were Hoovervilles.”
English teacher Mr. Scott Middlemist ’87 agreed with Mr. McShane about how people have the right to protest, but wasn’t sure if the was a step in the right direction.
“I have noticed that police in several cities are destroying the camps and kicking them out,” Mr. Middlemist said.
According to CNN.com, on Tuesday Nov. 16 police in riot gear cleared out protestors in Zuccotti Park, the origin of the first protests.
“It’s too bad it had to end that way, knowing the way our news cycle works in this country I am not sure how long they will be remembered. I think they were trying to speak for the many that feel like they were getting the shaft or living in an unjust situation,” Mr. Middlemist said.
The following day after police forced protestors out of Zuccotti Park, the New York Supreme Court ruled that protestors were allowed to return to the park, but they had to be without their tents and generators, according to CNN.com.
Not all teachers at Brophy approve of the protests while others say the protests are just the beginning.
“I am leaning towards (being) against it,” said Mr. Andrew Bradley. “Those people should get out of public parks and maybe look for jobs.”