Students Get Answers To "Occupy Wall Street" Movement Firsthand
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The focal point of the "Occupy Wall Street" movement has become a big draw for many in Lower Manhattan, including school kids visiting the site. NY1's Vivian Lee filed the following report.Students of all ages are studying the living, breathing example of a component of Democracy -- the good old fashioned protest -- right in Downtown Manhattan.
Teacher Todd Sutler brought fifth graders from the Community Roots Charter School to Zuccotti Park Thursday to examine the elements of sustaining any movement because, he says, American history is filled with them.
"We're studying the African-American civil rights movement," Sutler said. "The kids came here with two questions: How are the people supporting themselves? For example, with the food they're providing each other, the medical support. How are they supporting the movement?"
"They can carry signs around, they can give speeches," said student Elios Urbach.
For eighth graders at MS 131, the big question of "why" dominated their discussions.
"A lot of my students are very skeptical: What is the point of this? Why are they doing this? And they don't think it'll work. But others are personally inspired, and they say we're coming back here on our own afterward," said MS 131 teacher Benjamin Geballe.
Skeptical or not, the students know they're witnessing something significant.
"We're pretty much videotaping everything, putting it altogether in projects and stuff," said Eighth grader Hector Angel Gonzalez.
Then there are the college students, who are examining what it takes to be a participant. Is it enough, for example, to simply "Like" "Occupy Wall Street" on its Facebook page, in order to support it? It's a probing question for a new age of instantaneous communication.
"Clearly it's spread globally, people are finally being heard, and that's what the goal is," said one college student.
More youngsters could be heading to the Downtown park soon. A group called Parents for Occupy Wall Street is planning a sleepover Friday night.
Organizers say the aim is to show support for a movement that could impact the future.