Vigil of Concern: "People are Hurting"

"There is an amount of controlled anger, frustration and fear that’s powering the movement.  It’s taking over the country.” -- Terry Moore, Verona resident.

On Monday night in Little Falls, a small but determined group of protestors gathered under the clock of the Municipal Building for a “Vigil of Concern.” Held in support of the "Occupy Wall Street" movement in New York, it carried the same message:

“It doesn’t matter if you’re on Wall Street or in Little Falls, the whole country is suffering,” stated Alan Myers, a Bloomfield resident and member of the Montclair political group, Blue Wave New Jersey.

“We have too many overwhelmed food pantries in this country.  The people who are going there now are people who used to be middle class.”  Myers works with the Blue Wave Public Interest Foundation to provide clothing donations and soup kitchen servicesto New Jersey residents.

At the Vigil, fifteen or so protestors carried printed signs like “Main Street, Not Wall Street,” and chanted slogans like, “Hey, hey, ho, ho, corporate greed has got to go!”  Though their good-natured banter hardly seemed radical, a significant media presence  (about five reporters and a News 4 cameraman and anchor) seemed to heighten the importance of the small gathering.

“Movements start small,” explained Myers.  “This one is only several weeks old.  Movements grow.  If they’re worthwhile, they grow.” 

Several of the Vigil participants said they had taken part in the New York protests.

“We were down on Wall Street a couple of days ago,” said Terry Moore from Verona.  “There is an amount of controlled anger, frustration and fear that’s powering the movement.  It’s taking over the country.”

“In New York [people] took to the streets -- and they’re taking to the streets here in Little Falls – because they feel frustrated,” said Bob Russo, the former Mayor of Montclair.  “The government is not responding.  It’s a gridlock.  The Republicans in Congress are blocking anything the president tries to do to create jobs.”

Russo and the other protestors felt that a large part of the country’s economic woes could be attributed to the bank bailouts.

“We helped these banks when they needed it and now they turned against us,” said Russo.  “How can when we helped them stay alive?”

Another Montclair resident, Carrie Cantor, expressed concern about the plight of the middle class.

“The middle class is declining,” she said. “The middle class has been attacked.  The moneyed interests who are controlling our politicians are taking away everything that allows the middle class to thrive: jobs, education, unions, infrastructure. And they’re taking away our safety net too.”

She added, “Everything that made our country great, they’re tearing it down. It’s all about greed. Because of the corporate interests that control both political parties, the only way things will change is through a people’s movement.”

Carrying a sign that said, “We the People,” Little Falls resident Arnie Korotkin agreed it was time for action.  “I think of this [vigil] as consciousness-raising.  I’m not sure what the answers are.  But people are hurting," he said. “The last line of the pledge of allegiance is, ‘Liberty and Justice for all.’  That’s my vision for this country.”

The New York protest that began in early September continues;