American Awakening: US Protests Spread to 1,000 Cities

Widening US protest rallies against the prevalence of top-level corruption, poverty, and social inequality in America, which began two weeks ago in New York, have now spread to more than 1,000 cities across the country, media sources reported.

After three weeks of permanent demonstration at Zuccotti Park in Manhattan, protesters won attention from both President Barack Obama and his Republican opponents.

Protest superstars such as Green Party leader and former presidential candidate Ralph Nader have boosted protester enthusiasm.

The “Occupy Wall Street” movement began demonstrations against corporate greed and unemployment in mid-September and has continued staging protest rallies.

As of Friday morning, the website “Occupy Together,” a hub for nationwide events in solidarity with “Occupy Wall Street” reported gatherings in 1,000 cities.

On Thursday, activists kicked off the “October 2011” protest by occupying Freedom Plaza, near the White House and Washington DC’s downtown business and corporate section.

Rallies have spread from Freedom Plaza to McPherson Square, where “Occupy DC” is being staged by people that are younger and more grassroots.

Demonstrators are protesting the US financial system, corporatism, and joblessness, among other things.

They blame Wall Street practices and corporate influence on White House policies for the deepening of US economic crisis.

“We need to stop investing in privatization. We need to start worrying about the 99 percent of the population. We need to start investing our money into social welfare programs,” one protester said.

The members of the Occupy Wall Street movement have vowed to stay on through the winter.

Protesters use the slogan “We are the 99 percent” to call attention to the fact that they are not part of the one percent of Americans in possession of the nation’s wealth.