Cultural Narratives, Early Occupy Movement, and the TEA Party: Revolts Against E-SCAD and SCAD

“A democratic awakening”, says Reverend Dr. Cornell West, who has written several books of various foci weaving philosophy, theology, pedagogy, and critical theory to highlight social injustice. Upon the writing of this chapter in late October, Dr. West, a seasoned activist and currently Princeton University professor of religion and African American studies, has been arrested twice at Occupy Wall Street (OWS) rallies — first at the Supreme Court in Washington, DC, and days later in New York, heading a march against that city’s police department’s “stop and frisk” policy, which effectively legitimates gender and racial profiling, since it primarily targets the city’s black and brown men. Organized by existing associations already challenging the policy, the rally began in Harlem and was endorsed by the governing General Assembly of demonstrators at Zuccotti Park, the epicenter of OWS. Seven hundred demonstrators were arrested at the debut of OWS — 27 September 2011. By Halloween eve, an interactive map on the site OccupyTogether.org collates affiliated “actions” in over 600 cities across the Americas, Africa, Europe, Asia, and Australia.