Over the past few weeks, the mainstream media’s coverage of Occupy Wall Street has tended to paint the protesters camping out in Liberty Square as ill-informed and naive rich kids or loopy conspiracy theorists, and in any case not all that worth taking seriously. But as anyone who’s been down to Liberty Square can tell you, most of the protesters do not fit these caricatures.
Nick, 23, is a recent college graduate and independent filmmaker who helps out at the protests whenever he’s off work. Unassuming and well-spoken, his choice to join the protests was informed by a generational legacy of American progressivism—and he’s living proof that you don’t need to be unemployed or homeless to pull the night shift at Occupy Wall Street.
For all of The Nation‘s coverage of Occupy Wall Street, visit our special page on the protests. Be sure to also watch the first, second and third installments in this video series.
—Jin Zhao and Teresa Cotsirilos
Jin ZhaoJin Zhao grew up in Kunming, Southwest China and received her MA in Communication from Georgia State University. Her broad interests range from progressive politics in the US, globalization issues and new media, to arts, cultures and music. She currently works as a web intern, journalist and producer at The Nation.
Teresa CotsirilosTeresa Cotsirilos is a Berkeley native who may or may not have once declared her awkward love to Jonathan Franzen in a coffee shop. She has sold pirate supplies in San Francisco, ill-advisedly irritated soldiers in Jerusalem, and taught Sex Ed in rural Namibia with nothing but condoms, determination, and a large hand-drawn diagram. A Harvard graduate, she has written extensively for Salon.com, Let's Go Travel Guides, and American Girl. She currently works as a web intern, journalist and producer at The Nation.