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AYF LENDS SUPPORT TO OCCUPY WALL STREET MOVEMENT
asbarez
Thursday, October 20th, 2011
AYF members with Occupy LA participants
LOS ANGELES-On the heels of last Thursday's national day of student
solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement, members of the AYF-WR
paid a visit to the Los Angeles branch of the campaign to show their
support.
The campaign, which began in New York's financial district on September
17, has grown dramatically over the last month, challenging the
role of Wall Street behind the economic collapse and the corrosive
influence of money in politics.
"We don't see this as something partisan," said AYF member Caspar
Jivalagian. "It is a growing popular movement against corporate
unaccountability and economic injustice. We stand principally in
support of democratic-based efforts to put people over profit."
Members delivered a letter of solidarity on behalf of the AYF on
Friday, as well as a package of water and food to the protestors
camped out in front of Los Angeles City Hall.
"The Occupy Wall Street movement has gone viral and spread throughout
the world," added Jivalagian. "We would hope our people would be
inspired by such movements and become vocal about the even sharper
social inequalities and economic injustice in Armenia."
Meanwhile, Babken DerGrigorian, an AYF member currently studying in
London, was quoted widely in the media on Saturday for his part in
organizing a demonstration in London in support of the movement.
"Occupy Wall Street, media-wise, started out with really bad coverage,"
DerGrigorian was quoted as saying to ABC. "We don't want anyone
to miss the point of what this is about. Our governments have been
hijacked by corporate interests, and the solutions won't come from
our politicians."
Below is the full text of the AYF-WR letter to the Occupy LA
demonstrators.
Dear Occupy LA Protestors, On behalf of the Armenian Youth Federation
we would like to express our solidarity with your peaceful, lively
and democratic movement to awaken social change.
Like many, we share your dismay over the rising inequality and
financial hardship being brought to bear on ordinary people throughout
the country.
Particularly concerning for us, as students, are the skyrocketing
costs of education and mounting student debts. Last year, student
loan obligations reached the $1 trillion mark, surpassing even the
amount owed on credit card debt. Rather than education leading to a
brighter future, young people are finding themselves in a financial
abyss, with few promising job prospects after graduation.
The major financial institutions behind this debt machine and the
economic meltdown continue to reap exorbitant benefits while most
people are seeing their wages stagnate and their taxes spent on
bailouts for Wall Street. While the top 1% enjoys record profits,
the rest of the public faces foreclosures, budget cuts, layoffs,
and financial insecurity.
It is our responsibility as youth to speak out and demand what is
fair. We stand in support of a truly bottom-up, decentralized, and
democratic movement to challenge institutions perpetuating social,
economic, and political injustice.
We view the Occupy Los Angeles protest as a positive, grassroots
effort to address such critical issues. We salute your determination
and stand in support of your initiative.
In Solidarity,
Armenian Youth Federation
asbarez
Thursday, October 20th, 2011
AYF members with Occupy LA participants
LOS ANGELES-On the heels of last Thursday's national day of student
solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement, members of the AYF-WR
paid a visit to the Los Angeles branch of the campaign to show their
support.
The campaign, which began in New York's financial district on September
17, has grown dramatically over the last month, challenging the
role of Wall Street behind the economic collapse and the corrosive
influence of money in politics.
"We don't see this as something partisan," said AYF member Caspar
Jivalagian. "It is a growing popular movement against corporate
unaccountability and economic injustice. We stand principally in
support of democratic-based efforts to put people over profit."
Members delivered a letter of solidarity on behalf of the AYF on
Friday, as well as a package of water and food to the protestors
camped out in front of Los Angeles City Hall.
"The Occupy Wall Street movement has gone viral and spread throughout
the world," added Jivalagian. "We would hope our people would be
inspired by such movements and become vocal about the even sharper
social inequalities and economic injustice in Armenia."
Meanwhile, Babken DerGrigorian, an AYF member currently studying in
London, was quoted widely in the media on Saturday for his part in
organizing a demonstration in London in support of the movement.
"Occupy Wall Street, media-wise, started out with really bad coverage,"
DerGrigorian was quoted as saying to ABC. "We don't want anyone
to miss the point of what this is about. Our governments have been
hijacked by corporate interests, and the solutions won't come from
our politicians."
Below is the full text of the AYF-WR letter to the Occupy LA
demonstrators.
Dear Occupy LA Protestors, On behalf of the Armenian Youth Federation
we would like to express our solidarity with your peaceful, lively
and democratic movement to awaken social change.
Like many, we share your dismay over the rising inequality and
financial hardship being brought to bear on ordinary people throughout
the country.
Particularly concerning for us, as students, are the skyrocketing
costs of education and mounting student debts. Last year, student
loan obligations reached the $1 trillion mark, surpassing even the
amount owed on credit card debt. Rather than education leading to a
brighter future, young people are finding themselves in a financial
abyss, with few promising job prospects after graduation.
The major financial institutions behind this debt machine and the
economic meltdown continue to reap exorbitant benefits while most
people are seeing their wages stagnate and their taxes spent on
bailouts for Wall Street. While the top 1% enjoys record profits,
the rest of the public faces foreclosures, budget cuts, layoffs,
and financial insecurity.
It is our responsibility as youth to speak out and demand what is
fair. We stand in support of a truly bottom-up, decentralized, and
democratic movement to challenge institutions perpetuating social,
economic, and political injustice.
We view the Occupy Los Angeles protest as a positive, grassroots
effort to address such critical issues. We salute your determination
and stand in support of your initiative.
In Solidarity,
Armenian Youth Federation