The Occupy movements across the country are making their voices heard. Although the movement is young, starting on September 24, 2011, the 99 percent, as the protestors call themselves, are not being ignored. The movement is now present in over 100 cities across the United States, and Chicago is no exception to the movement. The protestors mainly meet on the corner of LaSalle and Jackson, but they have had marches and protests at different locations around the major banks in the Loop. The protestors have stood outside the Board of Trade and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, making their opinions heard at many major businesses across the city.
The Occupy Chicago movement is being recognized in the media for a number of reasons. Most of the people who have seen the protesters, whether it is on TV or in person, have seen the posters and signs that the protestors created. And anyone who has walked past the protest have heard the makeshift drums being banged. While most people shrug these aspects of Occupy Chi off, they do serve a purpose and they have effected the movement in a positive way.
Occupy Chicago has a committee that created the majority of the interesting artwork that the protestors hold and display proudly. The 15 posters, 13 in English and 2 in Spanish, can be found at Occupy Chicago’s website and printed for protestors and supporters to use. The committee also created arm bands that some of the protestors wear over their coats.
Flier created by the Arts and Recreation Committee for Occupy Chicago. Source: http://occupychi.org
Even though the Arts & Recreation committee crafted intricate fliers for the movement, their fliers just scrape the surface of the artwork surrounding Occupy Chicago. The protestors created their own posters that display empowering quotes and pictures. Many of them use the signs and posters as a means of expression. Some even created posters while protesting, writing things that inspired them.
Through the different visual and musical artwork, the protestors at Occupy Chicago feel they are making a strong impact on a problem that strongly impacts them.
Jaclyn Salmon, a nursing student at Saint Xavier University, said that the problems that Occupy Chicago is addressing are issues that she has been involved in for a while. Her main concern, being a nursing student, is healthcare for those who need it. She recognized that healthcare in the U.S. was problematic in high school, and has been working towards making it better in any way she can.
Occupy Chicago is a way for Salmon to vent her frustration. She feels the artwork has enhanced the movement because the art allows for personal expression. “It really shows how the person is feeling,” Salmon said.
“I feel like doing the posters and the different kinds of art and even the music groups are doing it because it’s how they express themselves to show what the movement means to them,” Salmon said.
Mary A., a regular protestor at Occupy Chi said that the music and artwork are probably annoying to people, but in a way that benefits the movement. “You have to have some kind of voice,” Mary said. “Whether it’s talking. Whether it’s holding a sign. Whether it’s making music. At least it’s making yourself heard.”
And that is one of the biggest challenges the Occupy movement has faced. Getting their voices heard by the people who matter, the people who are the one percent.
David Vogner, a recent graduate of Northwestern University, does not have unrealistic expectations for the movement. Vogner has experienced first hand the difficulties of finding a job in the current economy. After graduating with a journalism degree, Vogner is still jobless. “I tend to get really frustrated because I feel like there were a lot of decisions made throughout the years, not just in 2008, but leading up to 2008, that I couldn’t control. I didn’t have a say in them,” Vogner said.
“I don’t really know how big of an effect the Occupy Chicago movement is going to have or the Occupy Wall Street movement or any of these movements throughout the country.”
As far as Vogner’s personal art contribution to Occupy Chicago, “This may not be the most creative sign in the world,” he said. “It’s great to have something to hold up to people on the street so they can honk their horns. I think it’s another part of expression. And why I’m here.”
