Occupy Wall Street celebrated its one year anniversary on Sunday in New York City with a concert celebration.
The concert took place on day before the official anniversary.
As job growth continues to be at a standstill and unemployment numbers continue to increase, the protestors of OWS originally set out to demonstrate their frustration with the American financial system.
According to the OWS anniversary website, to continue displaying their frustration, protestors have organized a planned form of disobedience. Protestors plan to "disrupt traffic throughout the Financial District by creating a swirl of roving intersection occupations surrounding the Stock Exchange."
The stated goal of their efforts according to the website is for people to imagine "world without Wall Street."
On Saturday, protestors made their way through Manhattan, ending at Zuccotti Park, and several people were arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
OWS has tried different tactics to sustain itself as a movement, including coordinating protests for different causes and creating an archive of the movement's short but extensive history. OWS protestors even made themselves known at the two recent political conventions. But for those who are not directly involved with OWS or any of its branches, it could seem like the movement is over and only photos of police officers pepper-spraying college students is left.
Although Occupy Wall Street's voice was never really felt by those who did not fully understand what the group was protesting for, that is no longer important anymore according to Nathan Schneider, editor of WagingNonviolence.org.
Writing in The Nation, Schneider said OWS's success was to allow like-minded people to meet and gain experience in organizing for a cause.
"People organizing for economic justice-especially young people-now know one another," Schneider said. "They've practiced direct democracy in general assemblies and risked their bodies in direct action. They're talking with each other over networks that they created themselves, as well as traveling together and building their capacity for future action."
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