As Students Revolt Over Cutbacks and Debt, OWS Stages May Day "Free University" for the 99%

DemocracyNow.org - In New York City's Madison Square Park, hundreds of people attended a "Free University" hosted by Occupy Wall Street, where professors gave free classes to May Day protesters. Activists said the event marked an alternative means of sharing knowledge outside the capitalist system. "This movement is all about building community and sharing and coming up with alternatives to the economic system that is so pervasive in our lives and in everything that we do," said Amin Husain, a key facilitator for the Occupy movement, who attended the event. "These are cracks in capitalism where we can actually give and take on our terms," he added. Ruthie Wilson Gilmore, a professor and co-founder of the prison abolitionist group Critical Resistance, brought her class from the City University of New York to the action. "May Day is a day in which we rise up and say, 'We should be free,' which means we should control the means of production so that we can have all the say possible in how we reproduce ourselves," said Gilmore. "Studying policing and studying capitalism and studying racism is a way toward figuring out how to change the future." Democracy Now! also spoke with poet Eileen Myles and professor and labor activist Jackie DiSalvo.

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[s.j sutty]

Occupy like poetry, it seems, has become a minority interest. You failed to hit the news on May Day. Shame!!!

[shkotay]

Worse then that, they dont even realize why they can be effectively ignored. I dont think it has occurred to any of them :( The powerful dont care what you gotta say to them, they only care that you put your cash in their pocket

[s.j sutty]

agreed. Occupy it seems is dead when the are all that count

[Argenis Mills]

I love lthe fact people is uniting more and more and discussing,.. its beautiful hear people talking about poetry and culture,.. i just hope that sooner than later we start to talk about concrete political views and ideologies, we need to go to a concrete end because without that our efforts and demonstrations are meaningless and the most important thing is to see to our neighbors, Latin-America for example and the beautiful history of struggle and resistant that they have,we´re not alone...

[mugsy1961]

Ohh no!! Not a Poetry strike! Anything but that!

You become a poet and then complain about being poor?

[Fu Tang]

Much RESPECT! to the people out here and everywhere. The conditions are IMPOSSIBLE for the American people. We need to all unite and SERIOUSLY BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF OUR RICH/PUPPETS in office. I see Martial law soon...its getting ridiculous!

[Born2Flesh]

I'm waiting for Marshal Law and the legal killing of Americans that protest against it. If you don't think they will kill you, you're gonna get a very rude awakening. Cops love to kill.

[shkotay]

Protest is supposed to be informed and have an objective....this is just protest with hot air. Hate to say it but its true.

[shkotay]

Until they start educating ppl what to REALLY do, then Occupy isnt going to get much done.

Teach ppl to choke the rich. Stop buying as a collective what they sell. Stop buying so much shit you do not need. We have now and have always had their balls in our hand to crush, but they have very successfully made ppl forget that. Occupy is now, and has always missed the point. And you wonder why the rich ignore you with no penalty. Its because you yell at them, and then hand over your cash.