Joseph the unemployed father of two looks forward to finding an honest job. Priscilla the librarian’s assistant hands out raincoats in the rain and wants to stay as long as it takes. John the banker wants to bring about an era of ethical practice in Washington. Greg works Zuccotti Park’s food station, and thinks that those in search of the Occupy movement’s specific demands might be missing the point.
As politicians and pundits continue to agonize over what Occupy Wall Street really wants, those at Zuccotti Park are busy actually working toward their visions of what victory for the movement would look like. From reforms limiting corporate influence in politics to the simple success of having created the less hierarchical space itself, the radical imagination of the occupiers has been the driving force behind the movement’s growth.
Watch our series of video interviews with OWS protesters, a young filmmaker, an older immigrant, an activist and a substitute school teacher.
—Jin Zhao and Teresa Cotsirilos
Jin ZhaoJin Zhao grew up in Kunming, Southwest China and received her MA in Communication from Georgia State University. Her broad interests range from progressive politics in the US, globalization issues and new media, to arts, cultures and music. She currently works as a web intern, journalist and producer at The Nation.
Teresa CotsirilosTeresa Cotsirilos is a Berkeley native who may or may not have once declared her awkward love to Jonathan Franzen in a coffee shop. She has sold pirate supplies in San Francisco, ill-advisedly irritated soldiers in Jerusalem, and taught Sex Ed in rural Namibia with nothing but condoms, determination, and a large hand-drawn diagram. A Harvard graduate, she has written extensively for Salon.com, Let's Go Travel Guides, and American Girl. She currently works as a web intern, journalist and producer at The Nation.