Dr. Cornel West Arrested After Occupy Movement Protest

Dr. Cornel West, one of the main leaders of the Occupy Wall Street Movement, was arrested today in Washington, D.C.

The organization led a march of about 250 people from Pennsylvania Avenue to the U.S. Supreme Court where West climbed the steps and “denounced court decisions that have produced money based elections that empower corporations”.

Dr. Cornel West spoke to more than 500 people on Freedom Plaza where he said that “if Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. were alive today, he would be on Freedom Plaza.”

West described how the struggle against, poverty, war and injustice continues and confidence that the people will succeed.

He applauded the occupation as “an inclusive social revolution for all of us” and a “leaderless-leader-filled movement” where people are “finding their own political voices rather than echoing others.”

Kevin Zeese, an organizer of October2011.org said: “It is a fitting tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for Dr. West and the others to risk arrest protesting the unfair wealth divide and the Supreme Court empowering money over voters.

In the battle for a real, participatory democracy getting money out of politics is a critical step.”

October2011.org seeks to end corporate rule and shift power to the people. The occupation of Freedom Plaza began on October 6th, the beginning of the 11th year of the Afghanistan War and a new federal fiscal year that promises austerity for everything except militarism and war.

Among those arrested with Dr. West were Tarak Kauff of Veterans for Peace, Ellen Davidson of the Indypendent newspaper, filmmaker Dennis Trainor, Jr. and Maria Allwine an independent political activist. The movement towards economic justice continues…

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