Should Georgetown Students Occupy DC?

Derided as divisive and disorganized, thousands of protesters have occupied Zuccotti Park in New York City for almost two months now, defying efforts by city officials to force them to leave and spawning hundreds of other protests across the country and world, including here in DC.

As of today, the richest 1% of Americans control over 34% of national net worth. While refusing to articulate a list of demands, the protesters’ core issue is simple and far-reaching: Too much wealth is concentrated in the hands of the superrich and corporations at the expense of everyone else, who they term the 99%.

Here at Georgetown where we pride ourselves on our capacity to organize to achieve tangible solutions, it can be difficult to sympathize with a group that looks like nothing more than, as one student described, “people sitting in a park.”  While they may not have an actionable plan for political success, they’ve brought considerable attention to the issue and polls show a majority of Americans support them.

Given many of us attend school on scholarship while others come from families surely part of that same 1%, should Georgetown students support Occupy Wall Street and participate in Occupy DC? Why or why not?

Photo Credit: lburiedpaul

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