On the evening of Nov. 17, an International Day of Action, an estimated 32,500 people marched on the Brooklyn Bridge -- probably the biggest Occupy Wall Street protest yet.
Carrying LED candles in the "Festival of Light," they peacefully walked along the pedestrian walkway on the bridge connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn. Suddenly, they saw the Bat Signal -- "99%" -- projected onto the massive blank wall of the Verizon Building. Then the beam rolled through a series of words:
"99% / MIC CHECK! / LOOK AROUND / YOU ARE A PART / OF A GLOBAL UPRISING / WE ARE A CRY / FROM THE HEART / OF THE WORLD / WE ARE UNSTOPPABLE / ANOTHER WORLD IS POSSIBLE / HAPPY BIRTHDAY / #OCCUPY MOVEMENT / OCCUPY WALL," then a long list of cities, states and countries and then "OCCUPY EARTH / WE ARE WINNING / IT IS THE BEGINNING OF THE BEGINNING / DO NOT BE AFRAID / LOVE."boing boing interviews Mark Read, the creator of the Bat Signal, who explains how Denise Vega, a single working mother of three, allowed him to project the image from her apartment in subsidized housing. She refused to take money for it -- though he offered -- because "This is for the people."
(Oh, and, by the way, the Associated Press dishonestly describes "Occupy Wall Street" as "a scruffy group that has erupted in violence." These have been peaceful protests. Here's how Wonkette, who actually talked to Occupy Wall Streeters, describes them that night:
There were tons of families with their kids, CUNY students, union workers, and even doctors in lab coats carrying banners demanding better access to health care.)The Verizon Building was a fitting target for the Bat Signal. Verizon -- a tax dodger -- wants to cut its workers' health and pension benefits. Occupy Wall Street -- as well as the Teamsters and other unions -- have for the past two months participated in direct actions against Verizon in solidarity with its workers, members of the Communications Workers of America.
Holy Corporate Greed, Batman!!
