squatting will not alleviate income inequality
Dear Occupiers of Duncan Plaza,
I understand your grief with American Capitalism. I agree that institutionalized income inequality is harmful to the weakest members of our society. But do us all a favor and take your complaints to the voting booth.
Vote with your feet, and with your dollars. Don’t squat in my city’s parks, because nobody at NOLA City Hall has the power to effect the systemic socio-economic change you seek. Take your energies and expend your efforts in ways that will effect meaningful change. Lobby your senators and representatives — local, national, and state — to repeal unjust laws. Vote them out of office if they don’t act like the public servants they are. Boycott corporations. Move your money to credit unions. Go out and do stuff in furtherance of your goals.
Camping out in city parks isn’t a very effective means of bringing about widespread socio-economic change. It just isn’t.
Also, I’d like to be able to enjoy a lovely quiet lunch in the park again soon. As it is, I feel like I’m trespassing in the park even though it’s a public place, and the ambiance of your ad hoc tent city is not nearly as pleasant as the park in its usual pastoral state.
That is all.
best,
~tangle
