Peter

Originally, way back when, I’m from Brooklyn. And I’ve lived here and there since…. Always around New York. The furthest I lived away was a little town up in the Hudson Valley about 60-70 miles from here. Lived there for about 13 years. Right now I’m living in Jersey City. If it weren’t from those buildings, you’d be able to see where I live from here. I’ve been in Jersey city for about four years.

I don’t hope to change John Boehner. I don’t even hope to change Barack Obama. I hope to change the American people, get them to wake up and say “Wait a second. These people have a point. What’s going on here?”

I’m a lawyer. I went to Fordham. Fordham Law. It’s in Midtown on 62^nd Street, long time ago. What I do is, I’m a trial lawyer. I spend a good part of my life on my feet, in the courtroom. And believe it or not, most of my life has been spent defending corporations and insurance companies, because you make a living where you can. Although my sympathies aren’t necessarily, these days, in that direction. You got to make a living.

I live in Jersey because it’s cheaper than Manhattan. But I’m a New York lawyer. I’m licensed to practice in New York, not in New Jersey. So, I commute through the pass train, which is a commuter train that runs under the river. It takes me about 15 minutes to get here from where I live, which is actually a lot closer than a lot of people who live on the island of Manhattan.

I’ve been involved with this movement for, I guess, about a month. I really got interested in the big labor march that took place on October 5^th. In fact, that’s how my wife and I spent our anniversary, was in that march. And after that, I became involved. I came down here, met some people and started working.

Why am I here? Because of the injustice. We’re talking to the American people saying “Wake up. Look what’s going on around you. You’re having trouble. Your kids were dragged away from college and moved back in with you.” That’s not your fault. And no amount of hard work on your part is going to fix it. And it’s the people in Fox News, or the New York Post who have been selling you a bill of goods. Wake up. These people are not your friends. They’re out to screw you. That’s why I’m here.

It has already changed it. If you take a look at database searches, the words ‘Income inequality’ as subject of Google searches has jumped by a factor of about 100 since this movement started. People are waking up. They’re listening to it. Income inequality was not even part of the conversation before Occupy Wall Street started. And as I said, what do I hope to change? I don’t hope to change John Boehner. I don’t even hope to change Barack Obama. I hope to change the American people, get them to wake up and say “Wait a second. These people have a point. What’s going on here?” And that, I think, is happening.

My name is Peter.