Autonomous Occupy Wall Street Faces New Danger: "Zuccotti Lung"

...occupied with germs??? (scoboco's flickr)

Occupy Wall Street released a "statement of autonomy" yesterday (see the full text below) in which they clarify that OWS has no true political or organizational ties: "It is party-less, leaderless, by the people and for the people. It is not a business, a political party, an advertising campaign or a brand. It is not for sale." Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that protesters are sickness-less—the NY Times reports that germs are spreading throughout Zuccotti Park, and health officials are concerned. “It’s called Zuccotti lung. It’s a real thing,” said 28-year-old demonstrator Willie Carey.

The health department said it would continue monitoring the park as winter approaches: “It should go without saying that lots of people sleeping outside in a park as we head toward winter is not an ideal situation for anyone’s health,” the department said in a statement. Between the shared cigarettes and the damp conditions, doctors say people are susceptible to respiratory viruses, norovirus (the winter vomiting virus), and even tuberculosis!

The Times notes that damp laundry and signs have led to perfect mold conditions, that discarded food litters the ground in places, and that some protesters have taken to urinating in bottles and jugs to avoid bathroom lines. “I’m amazed that in a park full of revolutionaries, there are large contingents that can’t throw away their own trash,” said 22-year-old Jordan McCarthy, a member of the protesters’ sanitation team. There is also the increased risk of sexually transmitted diseases, which they've been trying to deal with.

At least protesters have the new 24-hour medical tent, staffed by a rotation of several dozen medical professionals, including ER physicians, general practitioners, and registered nurses. Not that there aren't still paranoid people though: a team from Union Health Center in Chelsea came to the park this week to give out free flu shots, which some protesters refused citing concerns about a government conspiracy (most likely involving nano-technology, we imagine). Some think a little illness will actually be good for the ongoing protest: “Pretty much everything here is a good way to get sick,” said Salvatore Cipolla, 23, from Long Island. “It’ll definitely thin the herd.”

Occupy Wall Street is a people’s movement. It is party-less, leaderless, by the people and for the people. It is not a business, a political party, an advertising campaign or a brand. It is not for sale.
We welcome all, who, in good faith, petition for a redress of grievances through non-violence. We provide a forum for peaceful assembly of individuals to engage in participatory as opposed to partisan debate and democracy. We welcome dissent.

Any statement or declaration not released through the General Assembly and made public online at www.nycga.net should be considered independent of Occupy Wall Street.

We wish to clarify that Occupy Wall Street is not and never has been affiliated with any established political party, candidate or organization. Our only affiliation is with the people.

The people who are working together to create this movement are its sole and mutual caretakers. If you have chosen to devote resources to building this movement, especially your time and labor, then it is yours.

Any organization is welcome to support us with the knowledge that doing so will mean questioning your own institutional frameworks of work and hierarchy and integrating our principles into your modes of action.

SPEAK WITH US, NOT FOR US.

Occupy Wall Street values collective resources, dignity, integrity and autonomy above money. We have not made endorsements. All donations are accepted anonymously and are transparently allocated via consensus by the General Assembly or the Operational Spokes Council.

We acknowledge the existence of professional activists who work to make our world a better place. If you are representing, or being compensated by an independent source while participating in our process, please disclose your affiliation at the outset. Those seeking to capitalize on this movement or undermine it by appropriating its message or symbols are not a part of Occupy Wall Street.

We stand in solidarity. We are Occupy Wall Street.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Ben Yakas in News on November 11, 2011 2:15 PM

Comments [rss]

SantiagoJJJr

Occupy Wall Street Statement of Autonomy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

RevBarbara Sexton

If my links don't work, just 'google' me!

RevBarbara Sexton

http://dearoneshealingministry...

http://dearoneshealingministry...

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Remy Chevalier

How can such a movement survive without ultimately talking on a political dimension? Unless OWS can get it together to position political candidates in the 2012 election, it will never gain influence over the system. As for AdBusters, looks to me they've pretty much lost control of this situation, they seeded something with Buy Nothing Day, but it's taken a life of its own. Nothing is ever "leaderless" that's wishful thinking, there's always people pulling the strings... they will eventually surface, hopefully not turn out to be complete dicks, and we might be able to take this to the next level, because right now, it's just hovering... making a lot of noise, while the powers that be keep dancing.

JoanAngelson

Why do all these young people smoke cigarettes? They all drink Kumbacha and try to be healthy, but smoke cigarettes that are killers.

sk83r

Because they are bums, not hipsters. Hipsters have $100K fashion jobs for doing nothing.

LICnative

You would think that people without jobs, and probably the health insurance that comes with it, would take better care of themselves. When you voluntarily live in such an environment, you're welcoming in injury and disease.

Then the people diagnosed with "Zucotti lung" will file for SSD and tap into a resource they never paid into and will be supported by the very government they find so offensive.

It's all so pointless.

Guest

hey OWS, let me introduce u to my friend IDGAF. oh, by that i mean I Don't Give A F*ck. thanks :) you filthy white boy hippie f*cks. move right along. I see you in the deutche bank basement every night. next time, pay attention. you'll see me giving you the eye. the IDGAF eye. white boy f8cks.

Eggcream

Your SSI check should arrive soon. Don't freak out, man. Your food stamps are another story—I think they figured out that the names of your children were actually names of your pet cats. But, you can re-apply. Still nothing to get violent over.

Guest

haha, what a sh*tty and unfunny response. hey eggcream, go f8ck urself. and don't bother responding to this. i'm about to leave work and I won't be checking this website for a couple of days. actually, in that case, feel free to tell me exactly how u feel!!!

Eggcream

Attention NY Post reader/activists: your comments here are so dumb that they make us laugh. Please, don't stop with the "dirty hippies" stuff, you fuel us with this poetic criticism. Gems, every hysterical statement.

Samantha Nicholson

Considering there is not one comment in support of this movement...

Guest

too late.

Bronxalien2013

Wasnt Valley Forge like this or any big historical event. Endurance wins the game. No matter what people may say, it takes alot to stick it out and these folks put there money where there mouth is. Haters will always hate and they wouldnt last a nano second out there where theyll be runnin home .

shocktheday

No ... it takes a lot to wake up every morning and be productive and contribute to society instead of blaming others for your financial or social situation. Many who protest come from professions that are known not to have steady income but would never consider a corporate job; that's no one's fault but theirs. And for them to jeer passerbys on their way to work and calling them sheep, fuck them.

Samantha Nicholson

Or maybe they have better things to do. Like go to work?

toofarinsideacar

Yay! I love work! it is SO fun to sit at a desk all day and earn money for rich people I don't know! I LOVE going home, having dinner, watching TV, sleeping and then waking up and going back to WORK! Everyone should do the kind of work I do! Because it's so fun and NOBLE! Those doctors working at OWS, and those people cooking food for OWS are just sitting on their asses all day! They should do something useful like being an accountant, or doing data entry, or selling stocks, or writing academic works, or working in factories to make plastic things. &*#$ YEah Work!!

Jay!

You just know they're gonna start saying that it was the police under the mayor's orders that planted the germs there to get the protesters sick.

rnrnys

The same thing happened during the middle ages; overcrowding, poor sanitation, eating where you're shitting, having sex where you're assaulting, etc. All ended up in plagues as I recall. Wiped most of the population out.

We should be so lucky with these crusties.

I guess we haven't come a long way since then after all.