Faceoff at 55 Wall St. - Eat Cake

[Why Syzygy]

Run time: 01:28 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rfuvDr2wJQ   Posted on YouTube: September 18, 2011 By YouTube Member: strugglevideomedia Views on YouTube: 306   Posted on DU: September 18, 2011 By DU Member: Why Syzygy Views on DU: 9141

 
#Occupy Wall St. demo Sept. 17, 2011. Marchers leave Zucotti Park to attempt to enter blocked off Wall St. At 55 Wall St. they find the wealthy at play and a faceoff begins.

[WillyT]

1. K & R !!! - Thank You !!!

:kick:

[DrunkenBoat]

2. Looks like more people than the "thousand" I read in the media. Or the "handful" a poster here

wrote about.

[Coexist]

3. wonderful juxtaposition of the champagne sippers

and the other 99%. Watch them laugh.

[BeHereNow]

6. I just want to smack the bitch laughing at them...

What a "let them eat cake" moment.
Disgusting.
BHN

[Coexist]

8. this needs to go viral... it has the potential to become pivotal

[BeHereNow]

10. Agreed- I just put it out on Facebook.

Hopefully all my friends will add it their walls.
That clip of the "balcony people" made me sick to my stomach.
They don't care that those kids marching can't find jobs, afford
to go to the doctor much less stand around sipping champagne
and smirking at the misfortune of the less fortunate.
BHN:mad: :mad: :mad:

[butterfly77]

9. +1

[Why Syzygy]

24. It is a page

right out of the French Revolution! Let those 'swells' eat orange jumpsuits!

[AsahinaKimi]

35. That was

definitely a "We are here, and you are not" look. I almost expected them to spill their lovely champagne on the people's heads below... just for giggles.

[TalkingDog]

36. Yeah... I hate to admit it, but that was my response too.

Where is the wrath of 4chan when you need it?

[sulphurdunn]

47. The juxtaposition

of the demonstrators in the street and the swells, swilling champagne on the balconies between the Grecian columns says more than the phrase "class warfare" ever could. Off with their heads!

[fasttense]

53. They may be living it up and laughing now but just wait until the voice of the people

starts making the political establishment nervous. They will not be laughing, toasting and making fun of the people in the streets when they are being hauled off to jail or even worse dragged out into the streets by angry mobs.

[FourScore]

4. What amazing contrast between the people in the street and those with champagne on the balcony.

k&r

[BeHereNow]

7. Short but completely accurate and revealing.

Hope that balcony gives out and
lands those smirking assholes in the middle
of the crowd.
BHN

[texshelters]

39. Except the balcony, like the economy

would collapse and hurt the people and not those on top.

Peace,
Tex Shelters

[JDPriestly]

5. Good video.

What is happening today?

[BeHereNow]

11. How do we get this video more exposure?

It sums everything up so well.
I'd love to see what some of our progressive
television and press could do with it.
It is short and very clear in the message.
Powerful stuff actually.
BHN

[BonnieJW]

33. I wonder if Jon Stewart has it?

It would get huge exposure on his show.

[texshelters]

40. Watch it, share it, link it, watch it on different computers

include it in a blog, write a blog about it, post it on HuffPo...

Peace,
Tex Shelters

[Plucketeer]

12. Absolutely friggin' fabulous!!!

My hat's off to those of this gathering. How FERVENTLY I wish I could be there with them!

[YOHABLO]

13. Those Balcony Folks Need to Be Egged

Standing there sipping champagne laughing. They are the enemy .. we need to take them down. Maybe with another Depression they'll lose everything .. I would just love to see that. Of course I will be dead from starvation.

[ThatsMyBarack]

27. Welcome to DU, YOHABLO!

:hi:

I'm proud to be one of the 99%! :patriot:

[7wo7rees]

14. FBI needs to use facial scan technology to ID the balconeers.

Put them on the No Fly List as terrorists.
Issue warrants for their arrest as ponzi-schemers.
Make them testify to Congress on their superiors, and have them put in prison.

Until then, the campers stay.

[Jackie Wellbaum]

54. "Let Bankers Eat Cardboard"

I want to encourage direct action to take 'stills' of the 55 Wall St. 'Face Off' You-Tube Video (http://youtu.be/8rfuvDr2wJQ) in order to create over-sized 'WANTED' posters of each and every individual representing the '1%' "Swells Partying" on the balcony drinking champagne and smiling at the '99%' protesters below, surrounded by nearly one-on-one police security. After capturing clear stills of each of these people, I want to put out their images on press releases to hometown newspapers across the country until each of their hometown fish-wrappers know the identity of these 'swells' living among them. I want to ensure that each of these incredibly insensitive people attempting to manage both a champagne glass and a smile for the world as they deigned to make eye-contact with the enraged crowds of '99 percenters' below' will never forget this special little cocktail party. Oh, and I want to be sure their kids become aware of what their parents did back in 2011, just so they might re-think any respect they might harbor for their parent. America's Wall Street Aristocrats who smile from on high at the masses (the '99 percenters') below would be well advised to use some of their vast assets to build higher and higher walls around their castles. I am haunted by these images. I am angry. I'm ready to act. Now, not later.

[Grassy Knoll]

15. Thank you George W for the lost decade......

and thank you rush limbaugh and fox news for pointing the finger at obama.

:sarcasm:

[midnight]

16. Great shot of the swells drinking and having resources that they stole from us...

[Dutchmaster]

38. They won't be so smug when they are being carried to the guillotine.

Err, wait, that was France back in the day. We would never do that. Never. Never ever ever. Well, maybe.

[im1013]

17. AWESOME!

I've got to find a way to get there!

[polly7]

18. Great video! How unfeeling do you have to be to laugh and drink

champagne when you know damn well the people protesting below you are probably struggling just to feed their families. Unbelievable.

[Denver Progressive]

19. A Must See!nt.

[AllyCat]

20. Well yes, that does look like "hundreds" of people M$M. Tens to hundreds of

"hundreds", but all those words just get in the way of protecting corporate interests. It has another name too...LYING

[patrick t. cakes]

21. France 1789

[bengalherder]

23. Let's party like it's 1789!

Pass the cake, Marie!

[joanbarnes]

22. Not on the lamestream media.

[Jim_Shorts]

25. Millions out of work because of Wall Street

[AnnieK401]

43. I love this sign.

And the lack of media coverage is freaking me out.

[Bryn]

26. This blew my mind!

How cold is the rich on the balcony, flaunting their wealth, laughing. Wow! I will post on my facebook and twitter, too.

This is powerful!

[chrisa]

28. Off to viral-land this goes.

A couple of smug jerks are going to be very embarrassed. Can't say I feel bad for them.

[axollot]

30. You should. They are tourists in a restaurant. They may well support

the protest as not. Friend of mine went down there on his lunch break to see for himself. Posted his report.

Cheers
Sandy

[sabrina 1]

37. Not sure they were smug jerks. They look like tourists and

the woman waving seems to be waving at the protesters. I doubt the real jerks were anywhere near Wall St. this weekend, they were all out in their Hamptons mansions and on their yaghts, if they haven't left for their other residences on the Riviera or in Florida.

[axollot]

46. Exactly! You've got the right of it. We are or used to be better about

not knee jerk judgements here at DU but you'd be surprised how quick one jumps. If I hadnt found out myself it was a restaurant with tourists and thought it was an office building with industry folks I'd be peeved for sure.

Thanks for being sensible too. I know wealthy and poor folks as well as avg middle class that HATE what WS is doing and support the protest!

Cheers
Sandy

[axollot]

29. Hey guys - some perspective is in order here regarding the

people on the balcony. Friend of mine lives works in NYC - on his lunch break he went for a meander to 55 Wall ST. This is his report. (it's a reminder that we must not knee jerk judge. People of all types do not support the criminals of Wall street who are NOT showing their faces, rest assured! The right wing teahadist knee jerk judge - calling the protestors hippies and dregs of society!! Lets not be like them.)

here's my report from the front lines. 55 wall, second floor, does seem to be a restaurant again. the customers appear to be tourists with cameras and not captains of industry.
the police have the street blocked off, so the narrow sidewalks... of wall street are packed with people getting lunch, and tourists. .
the protesters are in A PARK, 2 blocks north on broadway. about 500 or so. well behaves, mostly eating lunch, sitting on benches.

Cheers
Sandy

[Jim_Shorts]

32. tourists? ya, your right, they are dressed just like the protesters - NOT

You don't know who those champaign glass balcony observers are any more than we do.

55 Wall Street is a luxury hotel, you can dine on golden gazpacho, roasted monkfish tail or grilled lamb t-bones at the second floor 55 Wall Restaurant.

If I had to guess, I would say those people on the balcony either work on Wall Street or are there on business, but for the idea that Wall Street is exacerbating class divide, the image of these people looking down from a classically designed grand roman balcony in their fine garb, they fit the bill just fine.

[axollot]

44. And that is what I said - it's a restaurant. They could be for the protestors

even if not taking part. I have many friends that are of the uber-wealthy class, they do not like the stink any more than you or I do.

Cheers
Sandy

I support the protest too but couldnt be there. SO?

[Jim_Shorts]

49. A lot of suits and ties up there, they could also be Wall Street Brokers

I think it is fine if people start getting edgy at these protests, if we don't make an awful lot more noise, nothing is going to change. Washington is broken and so far they could care less what the middle class and the poor think. Medicare is on the chopping block now and SS will soon follow.

Another poster was sympathizing with the police at the tar sands protests at the White House and I just think that is the wrong attitude. Maybe I am just projecting but I think progressives are way to thoughtful and easy going to demand the changes we need.

peace :)

[axollot]

51. Try not to be exclusionary either. People is people. I know all

about what is going on. I'm not new here by far. Went to my Congressman's Town Hall little over a week ago to confront him over his support of the Ryan Budget plan specifically due to the issue of SS. Wasnt there to talk to "him" so much as to bring the issues of the Ryan Budget plan to the packed house of Teabaggin, retired 'thugs. Most were very courteous to me, many wanted to know more and because my "rep" knows me he made of fool of himself refusing to let me speak until everyone he called on asked him to let me speak.

Funny - huh. I left my partisan at the door, parsed the info down so the room could understand.

Cheers
Sandy

[Jim_Shorts]

52. Can we clone you?

Good job, exactly what we need! :)

[axollot]

55. lol thanks! *smile* n/t

[midnight]

50. To go around and sip fluted drinks from on high is the symbolism for this great divide....

[Canuckistanian]

56. Tourists in ties?

I even saw one with a bowtie.

These people aren't Harry and Louise from Boise, enjoying a "New York experience". They're natives. And this is their domain.

[sabrina 1]

31. Excellent, and the nay-sayers thought this was not going to go

anywhere!!

:applause:

And the numbers will only grow because even if the media doesn't cover it, WE ARE COVERING it!

If people have a twitter or FB account, spread the word every day.

Thank you for this video.

[rhett o rick]

41. It there a thread keeping us up to date? How many are there today?

Thank you for what you do sabrina 1.

[sabrina 1]

45. Hi rhett o rick

I haven't had a chance to check the various sources yet, just got back from work, but if I get any numbers, I will post them ... this video shows far more people than many thought would be there this morning though. I saw predictions of only about 100 at most who would not be even visible against the normal crowds of people going to work in the area. But apparently they did manage to be noticed so that's good.

:-)

[rhett o rick]

48. The video says it's Sept 17. I am afraid many will think it's this morning.

I would only hope that many were still there, but I would be surprised.

[FreeBillClinton]

34. They should have thrown eggs at them.

[Turbineguy]

42. On CNBC this morning they showed

the Maserati convertible you get if you win the "Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge". Jim Cramer mentioned that the Protestors juxtaposed against the car was a microcosm of what was happening in general in this country. The other people there did not dwell on it.