‘Occupy Wall Street’ gives rise to ‘Occupy Winthrop’

By Kaitlyn Schallhorn
schallhornk@mytjnow.com

Students and faculty stand on the front steps of Byrnes Auditorium last Thursday and express themselves as the 99 percent to show solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement. Photo by Devang Joshi • joshid@mytjnow.comWinthrop’s Socialist Student Union rallied on the steps of Byrnes Auditorium last Thursday afternoon in a movement against Wall Street.

The protest began with impassioned speeches given by students as well as bystanders, including a public elected official on Fairfield County’s school board.  While several Winthrop faculty attended to watch the speeches, none actually spoke.

Judson Abraham, junior political science major, encouraged the speeches to be at least positive in nature towards the movement.

“I am here today because less than 1 percent of the population controls the bottom half,” former Winthrop student Lorena Hildebrandt said. 

Hildebrandt explained that Occupy Winthrop was creating a space for students and young people to create an impact.  

“Occupy Wall Street is a nice beacon of hope for a future that has seemed damned since I have been in it,” Hildebrandt said.  

Our generation is not complacent, Hildebrandt said. 

Other students such as middle level education major Kelly Hickman were very emotional in their speeches.  

“It’s okay to stand up to the government,” Hickman said at the rally.  “That’s what a democracy is about.” 

Students broke off into informal discussion groups after the speeches in order to further discuss the Occupy Winthrop movement and gauge exactly what it meant to them. 

“The point is to bring [the movement] where you are,” said Porsche Hill, senior political science major.

According to Hill, Occupy Wall Street is a model to foster learning and solidarity as well as radical imagination.  

“There is a great history of radical movement,” said Hill, who wants to reclaim that tradition.

Following the speeches and the discussion, students, faculty and other supporters hoisted signs above their heads and began the march to the Bank of America located in downtown Rock Hill.

The group marched through campus on the way to downtown chanting “the people united will never be defeated” and “banks got bailed out, we got sold out.” 

They stopped only long enough to pass out fliers to local businesses on the way and any passerby on the sidewalk.

Several members of the protest also shouted obscenities and jeered at the former home of university President Anthony DiGiorgio. 

As the group neared downtown, their chants grew increasingly louder in volume as the excitement among the protesters grew. 

Once the group finally reached the Bank of America after over a mile of walking in the unusually warm November heat, the protesters gathered on the sidewalk in front of the bank and faced the street.  Chants continued as the protestors won the attentions of pedestrians and drivers. 

Some passersby were receptive of the group, honking and waving or giving the thumbs up sign.  One driver shouted “get a job” at the students, only riling the protesters further.

Abraham rallied the group at intervals with encouragement and brief speeches while in front of the Bank of America building. 

The group gathered on the sidewalk, but never actually entered the bank. 

According to the flier being passed out on the march, students were “marching in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street…and the similar occupations here in the US and around the world.”

“The higher we raise our heads, the further we can see,” the flier said.

“Winthrop was late getting to it in the first place,” Abraham said in reference to the Occupy Colleges solidarity movement taking place around the country.  

While this was the third national action, Winthrop was actually the first school in South Carolina to participate.  Abraham did not let his pride of Winthrop for this historic action overshadow his question of “why not sooner?”

 “This is a real proper approach to being free,” Abraham said.  “Freedom isn’t just given to you.  [Freedom] is only given to you in the process of fighting to be free.”

According to Abraham, the current economic situation does not fit that mold.  

“In society, education versus war is based on the needs of people not the economy,” Abraham said.

The next step for those involved in the Occupy Winthrop movement is a discussion phase focusing more on solidarity.  

There will be a teach-in and picnic on the grass between the DiGiorgio Campus Center and the Little Chapel on Nov. 10.

“We intervened in the making of history with our presence,” Abraham said.