Tonight I'm Gonna Protest Like It's 1969

By the time I was born in December of 1970, my parent's were seasoned protester's on the front line of social change. They were young, black, urban, baby boomers who were raised during the American Civil Rights Movement. Black was Beautiful!, and members of The Nation of Islam and The Black Panthers were respected members of our community and close family friends. Hitting the streets and marching for justice was not only a civic duty, it was a badge of honor as far as my parents were concerned. When I was a teenager in the 80's, my mother often reminded me of my pampered existence, and how my generation was not contributing to the " Struggle" like they did. " I remember trying to run to the car from the tear gas" she used to say, " Your father had a Volkswagen Bug with a whole in the floor, so even when we made to the car, the gas would come up through the floor". When my dad would get arrested during protests, my mom would be his 'one' phone call, " Because his last name began with Y, he was always the last person to use the phone" she amusingly remembers, " sometimes he would have to wait for hours just to call for bail". My parent's activism and social conscience positively reinforced the notion of saying and taking a stand for what you believe in. 21st century economic inequality, a country in a war we don't understand, and political disdain is sparking social unrest in big cities around the country reminiscent of the late 1960's.

The phrase 'Don't trust anyone over 30' drew the line between sides in during the cultural wars of the late 1960's and early 1970's. On one side, the 'Counter Culture' were deemed young spoiled 'Hippies', that were either going to change the world through social equality and the power of love, or start the dawn of the Apocalypse. On the other side stood the ' Establishment', straight laced dinosaurs who were either committed to law and order or social repression. Age seemed to be the determining factor that determined which side you were on, and anyone who sympathized with ideas of the other side was deemed treason-is to their generation. Forty years and two generations later, We have seen the constrictive and restrictive establishment rules loosen up and include people it never acknowledged before. We have also seen hippies tune in, grow up, and sell out. The recent Occupy/99% Movement has stirred emotions and opened old wounds among the cultural masses. People are protesting and struggling over the same issues that confronted us in 1969. The environment, social progression, and cultural freedoms are still issues that people fight for, however, the main reason for social unrest today is the way wealth is distributed in America, and the rapidly shrinking middle class. Record Wall Street and corporate profits have harshly contrasted the worst main street recession since the Great depression of the 1930's, spawning many Americans of all ages, races, and genders to take to the streets and stand up for what they believe in. Baby Boomers fighting for Social Security and MedaCare are standing side by side with their middle aged, unemployed children, and grandchildren about to graduate from college with mountain of debt. The 99% Movement has bridged gaps between three generations in a way we haven't seen in modern history. The lines in the sand being drawn in today's culture war are rooted in federal and local political policies designed to reflect conservative agendas or liberal progressiveness. The looming 2012 presidential election and evaporating government budgets are starting to make politicians and big city officials look like the ghosts of establishment past.

Republican presidential nominees seem to be taking turns channeling the spirits of Ronald Reagan, George Wallace, and Richard Nixon. With the exceptions of Ron Paul and Jon Huntsman, the current republican contenders for president have collectively dismissed the 99% Movement as unproductive whiners who need a lesson in responsibility, and embraced the Tea Party with religious zeal. Newt Gingrich, Michelle Bachmann, Mitt Romney, and Herman Cain have turned the 2011 Republican Presidential debates into a political say-once, trying to contact iconic republican establishment figures from the great beyond. Former Speaker Gingrich has come the closest, telling protesters to "Take a bath and get a job". Local officials in big cities are also taking a tough stance with occupiers and 99%ers. Even mayors of historically liberal cities like Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles, and NYC are starting to look like establishment heavy's and tools of the 1% in the eyes of some on the left. Police officers have met protesters with the usual tear gas, pepper spray, and paddy wagon round up that earn many a lefty their social stripes, and local government agencies around the country have systematically evicted occupiers of public and private spaces in the name of public health and safety. The harsh treatment of peaceful protesters is starting to garner support for them among many Americans frustrated with the system. Putting dirty hippies in their place is one thing, but tear gassing a bunch of old ladies fighting to keep their hard earned pension has sparked fear in the hearts of the working and middle class. The American dream of prosperity is way out of reach for many people, even when you get an education, work hard, and stay out of trouble. Our right to assemble freely is being challenged by our governments need for law. The Occupy/99% movement is starting to unnerve the powers that be on all sides of the debate. Corporations and conservative politicians want to silence or forceably remove protesters from the national stage. Many liberal leaders, most notably president Obama, are taking calculated steps to show support. Left leaning politicians are walking a fine line between pissing of their constituents, and pissing of their corporate sponsors. I get the feeling the 1% would like the 99% Movement to go away and be quiet, but the movement is to big and diverse to ignore. The only way to get rid of the 99% is to put them back to work, something our leaders are failing to do. The up side to all of this is my generation and the one after it is getting the long awaited protest cred our parents and grandparents got over forty years ago.