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Ever since the New York Police Department arrested 700 protesters on the Brooklyn Bridge last weekend, the movement to shine the light on the gross income disparity in this country grows and grows. In fact, just today, President Obama was asked about the movement in his press conference:

"The American people understand that not everybody's been following the rules, that Wall Street is an example of that," Obama said at a White House press conference. He stopped short of endorsing the movement that began three weeks ago in Lower Manhattan and has spread to cities from Houston to San Francisco with the help of postings on Twitter and websites.

Several thousand protesters set up camp today in Washington's Freedom Plaza, two blocks from the Treasury Department. They staged drumming circles, set up sign-making tents, held a mini-rock festival and spoke against Wall Street excesses. Shortly before 3 p.m., they began marching toward the White House, with plans to rally nearby outside the columned headquarters of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

And then there's the ever-eloquent Vice President:

"There's a lot in common with the Tea Party," Vice President Joe Biden said today in Washington of the protests. "What are the people up there on the other end of the political spectrum saying? The same thing: 'Look guys, the bargain is not on the level anymore.' In the minds of the vast majority of the American -- the middle class is being screwed."

Although basically leaderless, the movement does have some organization to it:

OccupyWallSt.org is the unofficial de facto online resource for the ongoing protests happening on Wall Street. We are an affinity group committed to doing technical support work for resistance movements. We are not affiliated with Adbusters, anonymous or any other organization.

The leaders of this movement are the everyday people participating in the occupation. We use a tool called the "General Assembly" to facilitate open, participatory and horizontal organizing between members of the public. We welcome people from all colors, genders and beliefs to participate in our daily assemblies. Visit the NYC General Assembly website to learn how you can become involved, read updates/minutes, or find out how you can adopt NYCGA processes to organize your own community.

And this is the official declaration of the Occupy Wall Street movement:

As we gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of mass injustice, we must not lose sight of what brought us together. We write so that all people who feel wronged by the corporate forces of the world can know that we are your allies.

As one people, united, we acknowledge the reality: that the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its members; that our system must protect our rights, and upon corruption of that system, it is up to the individuals to protect their own rights, and those of their neighbors; that a democratic government derives its just power from the people, but corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people and the Earth; and that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power. We come to you at a time when corporations, which place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality, run our governments. We have peaceably assembled here, as is our right, to let these facts be known.

Indeed, a determining factor behind these demonstrations is that corporations have way too much power in this country. It is time for the bottom 99% of the population to push back on the 1% of the population that controls 50% of all the wealth in this country. If corporations are given the First Amendment rights of individuals, then we should be able to punish corporations like we punish those who violate the laws. And if we don't like the laws that govern these corporations, then we must change the laws. It's all connected.

To get an idea of what it's like down there on Wall Street now, check out this video:

Right Here All Over (Occupy Wall St.) from Alex Mallis on Vimeo.

And lastly, make sure to get involved in an Occupy Wall Street event in your town:

Welcome to OCCUPY TOGETHER, an unofficial hub for all of the events springing up across the country in solidarity with Occupy Wall St. As we have followed the news on facebook, twitter, and the various live feeds across the internet, we felt compelled to build a site that would help spread the word as more protests organize across the country. We hope to provide people with information about events that are organizing, ongoing, and building across the U.S. as we, the 99%, take action against the greed and corruption of the 1%.

Get Involved and join the movement!

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