Central Florida Occupies and Fights Back!
This is a collection of SLAPatista’s stories and thoughts on the #OccupyWallStreet movement and fight back in Central Florida.
SLAP @ Occupy Orlando
By Shannon McEnteer, UCF SLAPatista
In the week leading up to the global Occupy protests on Saturday, October 15th, students with the Student Labor Action Project at the University of Central Florida worked tirelessly to mobilize the student body to take action at the event. SLAP tabled every day, talking to students about the movement and encouraging them to sign our homemade banner that read, “Students are the 99%.” Others handed out fliers to passersby. In doing this, we were fighting the campus-wide apathy and engaging students to fight back for working-class power. The positive energy from those of us working to educate these apathetic young people is what makes this movement so important. We also organized carpooling and spoke about what we hoped to see at Saturday’s protest and occupation in Orlando.
Saturday, October 15th, was a historical day for Central Florida with the Orlando Police Department stating that this was the largest protest in Orlando’s history! With numbers ranging from 1,500 to over 2,000 people and a line of marchers stretching a half a mile long, we made our voices heard loud and clear for not only all of Orlando, but the world. People started gathering very early in the morning, with a wonderful public forum opening the day’s precession. Anyone could sign up to speak, and everyone who wanted to had their voice and ideas heard. Support was abundant from those listening, and the presence of camaraderie was strong and passionate. There were people of all ages, from small children to the elderly, people of different ethnicities, religions, and socioeconomic backgrounds. At one point, two young men and two older women led the crowd through human mike format in a chant of John Lennon’s Imagine. It was truly a chance for the diversity of the Orlando community to unite for a similar cause.
Everyone has their own personal stories regarding the unfortunate economic situation we’re in – students with unbelievable amounts of debt, often accumulated before they’ve even graduated with their Bachelor’s degree and begun to think about paying for graduate school; families who have lost their homes due to unstable and empty mortgage loans; people who have lost their jobs due to budget cut after budget cut after budget cut. The movement has often been criticized for not having a “coherent, unifying goal,” but with so much wrong and for so many reasons, how could we have just one message? We want banking reform, the separation of money and politics, and the reinstatement of a true democracy and the elimination of the plutocracy that we’ve found ourselves in. The main message, I believe, is to lessen the economic disparity and injustice that we are currently (and have been, for far too long) experiencing. In a country that has seemingly made such amazing technological and social advances, why are we back in a place that we haven’t seen in almost 80 years? Why is the “greatest country on Earth” plagued with student debt, foreclosure, and high rates of unemployment? An even bigger question is why aren’t more people concerned?
While the student turnout for Occupy Orlando has been great, we will not be satisfied with just one success. People have been occupying downtown Orlando for almost a month, with about 50 people there overnight, every night. With the momentum of the first Occupy protest downtown, and the inspiration from those who still haven’t left, we will continue to inform and empower students on the issues we are facing. It is time for the voices of this generation to not only be heard, but to also be recognized on a larger level. This is our fight to win (nonviolently, of course), and so we shall.
SLAP @ Occupy UCF
By Luis Lopez, UCF SLAPatista
On October 25th, ten days after the occupation of Orlando begun, students came out by the dozens to Occupy UCF.
A vastly diverse body of students from different registered student organizations gathered outside the student union to express their frustrations with the present reality of mounting student debt, unemployment, poor job prospects upon graduation, growing wealth inequality, slashing of financial aid and scholarships, increasing student tuition costs, or any other burden that the working class in this country has had to shoulder as a result of this economic crisis.
Whether it was holding signs, chanting, implementing the use of the “People’s Mic,” or passing out flyers to fellow students about the occupation in Downtown Orlando, students on this day did their part in uplifting the voices of the 99% and raising awareness about the injustices of our time.
The frustration was evident in the rhetoric that was on display today. However, this welled up resentment that came to externalize itself on the UCF campus, was grounded not on hate, envy, or scorn, but rather an unyielding desire to push this country, this city, this university, to a better future for all and not just the privileged few. It is exactly this kind of passion that has come to capture the minds and hearts of people all over the world in solidarity with the Occupy movement.
The students of UCF, the youth of Orlando, have begun a worthwhile and long overdue conversation on this campus; a conversation that seeks to unify the youth, despite our differences against those that continue to legislate against our interests and consequently against the interests of the 99%. The Student Labor Action Project here at UCF in conjunction with other progressive student organizations will keep striving to maintain this newfound energy and momentum on campus so that eventually we see the changes we seek to bring about. Until then, the occupation is ongoing.
SLAP @ Fight Back Florida/Occupy Orlando People Over Profit March
By Alexa Nelen, UCF SLAPatista
The Fight Back Florida Conference took place at a local union building where Fight Back Florida (FBF) gave a presentation on the tactics and necessities when starting either a new progressive organization or a larger movement. Fight Back Florida is a coalition effort of student, labor and young activists including members of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), the Student Labor Action Project (SLAP) at UCF, representatives from Planned Parenthood and other progressive groups.
In the midst of the conference, FBF left the conference hall and took it’s passion and determination downtown to march in solidarity with Occupy Orlando’s People Over Profit March. SLAP at UCF and The Fight Back Florida group was able to lead the march down to City Hall, capturing the spirit with several chants along the way. Our megaphones blasted and blared through the walls of banks and alley ways; everyone knew where we were and where we were headed.
After returning to the conference hall, the group went over positives and constructive criticisms for what we could have done better at the march, or as a group. While brainstorming, it was obvious that our sessions before the march helped us to have a clear perspective on the importance of keeping spirits and momentum strong. We then continued to discuss other ways to build and maintain a movement on and off college campuses in regards to the labor movement.
The conference facilitated plugging SLAP into a state-wide network of student and labor organizers so that we can better fight back against the right-wing attacks emanating from our state house and senate next legislative session. Additionally our lively participation in the march illustrates the power of students in pushing a working-class movement forward.
