Brought to you by the people who occupy wall street. Why will YOU occupy?
OccupyWallSt.org Occupytogether.org somosel99por-ciento.tumblr.com wearethe99percentuk.tumblr.com westandwiththe99percent.tumblr.com
ATTENTION: Documentary filmmaker Bobbi Jo Hart is looking to connect with people who have submitted their stories to We Are the 99 Percent. She would like to bring your stories to life in a new feature documentary film. You can contact her directly at bobbigotgame@hotmail.com if you would like to know more and explore being interviewed on camera.
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I am the 99%.
occupywallst.org
My name is Olivia. I can’t hold a sign because I’m so little.
I was born with club feet. One was so bad, it was nearly upside-down. My feet have been stretched into place and casted into position every week since I was 3 weeks old. It really hurts. I’m 3 and a half months old now, so I’ve done that a lot. It costs about $500 each time. (You can see one of my casts peeking out under my dress.)
On March 21, 2012 I had my first surgery, because the stretching wasn’t working. That cost nearly $9,000, but if my feet don’t get fixed, I’ll never be able to walk.
Medicaid is paying to fix my feet. My Daddy is a disabled veteran, but his insurance won’t cover my feet. My Mom is trying to raise my 3 brothers and I while she wracks up student loans getting her college degree, because minimum wage isn’t enough to keep a roof over our heads.
WIC is paying for my formula, because Mom’s milk never came in. She feels kinda bad about that, but sometimes these things just happen.
I hear that some people want to get rid of Medicaid, the Pell Grant, and WIC, so that the 1% can have even more tax breaks. Well, I want to be able to walk. I need to eat. And my Mom would like to be able to provide for me better someday. I don’t understand why people want to take that away from me. What did I do wrong?
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I CAN”T FIND MY FUTURE.
I looked in college.
I found debt.
I looked to my parents.
I found debt and heartbreak.
I looked at my friends.
I found grief and sorrow.
I looked at the land.
I found MY COMMONS DESTROYED, MY LAKES AND RIVERS AND SOIL AND TREES AND BEES AND WORMS DESTROYED.
I looked at my fellow humans.
I fund disease, debt, sorrow, dissonance, hate, greed, misery, AND NO ONE CARES ANYMORE.
well. I CARE. an awful lot.
IM TAKING MY FUTURE BACK.
(IT’S MINE)
I AM THE 99%
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I am a 21 year-old student from Finland.
It makes me sad to hear how Americans are suffering.
Here, our taxes are high but we all benefit from them.
I grew up in the countryside and always had access to the same services that people in the city did.
My university is known around the world in my field and my education is not only free, but my government pays ME to go to university. Everyone has a right to this.
Everyone has a right to the best healthcare, there is no such thing as health insurance.
I am young now and able to take risks and pursue my passion because I will never have to worry about starving if I loose my job or my business fails.
I know that when I am old my state pension will be there for me so that I can enjoy my retirement.
We call this the Nordic Model, and under it we live well and our businesses are among the most competitive in the world. I am grateful to have been born a citizen of a country that cares for its people, and I hope that one day the USA will take example from us.
I am the 99%.
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I’m a 26 year old college educated woman whose luxuries are my second-hand 1999 Ford Taurus, my 1 year old cat, and my 40 year old boyfriend who also lives paycheck to paycheck.
Growing up with not a lot of money since childhood, I looked forward to the finer things in life like money and college. I spent 4 years earning an associate degree in broadcasting (paid by the state) which did not get me a job in radio or TV. All the commercial TV stations in my city of Peoria have consolidated and seem to prefer Big Ten and Missouri Valley Athletic Conference grads. So I went 2 years earning by bachelor in business administration (paid by loans at a small private college) which I do not regret despite I can’t get a job as an administrative assistant due to “lack of experience”. I live paycheck to paycheck as a temp at a Catholic hospital, donate plasma, and go can collecting to make ends meet.
I’ve worked jobs through federal work-study, seasonal, and temporary since college and once in my life was laid off after the economy took a crap. The hospital won’t hire me on saying “come back when you have a more stable work history”. The IRS ripped me off on my 2011 taxes because my past employer (a call center for Verizon Telecom) must have fucked up my W-4. I only have $1,000 in savings and am planning to get out of Peoria in search of better opportunities. I only have over-the-air television, eat beans & rice every weekend, and do not need an expensive cell phone plan. I haven’t been able to take an actual vacation because of bills and $22,000 student loan debt and even though I have a job and donate plasma, it’s not enough.
This comes to my conclusion: Why do the rich and the well-off get to have all the fun and benefits while people like me and my boyfriend have to suffer? Employers should NOT hire people based on what college they attended and how are people supposed to get experience when companies won’t give them a chance? In addition I still haven’t gotten over missing our California trip in 2010 despite US Airways refunded our return ticket money. My boyfriend’s well-off parents live there and we were supposed to see them. Nowadays it seems his father doesn’t want our presence because we’re not married with children or have a ton of money or something (BTW he was going to help pay for our visit too). With the way America is going, I’m not sure if I should become a momma someday; maybe instead raise unwanted dogs and cats. Yes I am jealous, insecure, bitchy, and pissed off because America thinks the poor are freeloaders wanting a handout or are a bunch of marijuana smoking hippies who live in their parent’s basement. That’s bullshit! I have a job, I have two college degrees, I am a jack of all trades, and I don’t want to be typecast in Peoria anymore as “That woman who bothered her local CBS affiliate in attempt to get a job there.”
My boyfriend and I are the 99% and I demand change.
occupywallst.org
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Months ago, I wrote something for this site about my father’s struggle. He had a heart attack, open-heart surgery, and faced many injustices, living in America today without health insurance.
On February 27, 2012, he died due to his inadequate heath care. He left behind a wife of 25 years, 4 children and 4 grandchildren - 2 of which will never meet their amazing, wonderful, inspiring grandfather.
He is, was, the 99%.
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I am a 31-year-old college graduate with $65K+ in student loan debt. I’ve been unemployed for six months. Last August I lost my job and because of the circumstances, I can’t collect unemployment. Before that I worked odd jobs here and there, but nothing substantial. I haven’t been able to find a job in or out of my field. My mother is disabled and although we live on her social security check, it barely gets us by. I thought I had a job two weeks ago. I went in for what I thought was my first day of work and I thought everything was okay. They said there was a problem with my paperwork and it would be clear up. Nothing. Today they said there was a “mistake” and they chose another candidate. I am angry so many hardworking people are suffering. I plan to start my own retail business and produce a feature film where the Occupy movement plays an important part in the story. WE CAN’T GIVE UP! I SUPPORT MY FELLOW 99ERS! WE ARE THE 99%! OCCUPYWALLST.ORG
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