Good Ampersand Products

Office Products & More

The Organizers vs. the Organized in Zuccotti Park (New York Magazine)

**It began, as it so often does, with a drum circle.**

All occupiers are equal -- but some occupiers are more equal than others. In
wind-whipped Zuccotti Park, new divisions and hierarchies are threatening to
upend Occupy Wall Street and its leaderless collective.

As the protest has grown, some of the occupiers have spontaneously taken
charge on projects large and small. But many of the people in Zuccotti Park
aren't taking direction well, leading to a tense Thursday of political
disagreements, the occasional shouting match, and at least one fistfight.

It began, as it so often does, with a drum circle. The ten-hour groove
marathons weren't sitting well with the neighborhood's community board, the
ironically situated High School of Economics and Finance that sits on the
corner of Zuccotti Park, or many of the sleep-deprived protesters.

"[The high school] couldn't teach," explained Josh Nelson, a 27-year-old
occupier from Nebraska. "And we've had issues with the drummers too. They drum
incessantly all day, and really loud." Facilitators spearheaded a General
Assembly proposal to limit the drumming to two hours a day. "The drumming is a
major issue which has the potential to get us kicked out," said ...

New York Magazine