Participants in the Occupy Wall Street movement often used humor to express their demands and to communicate widely. In this example, a protestor has altered an MTA change of service notice, which originally states that the Staten Island Express will not stop at Rector Street due to "Demonstrators." A protestor took it upon themselves to clarify that their demonstration is a "Protest Against Capitalism & Other Atrocities & NYPD." Dated October, 2011, this document is one of the earliest examples in the Occupy Wall Street collections that demonstrates how protestors connected the violence of capitalism with the violence of the NYPD.
Image Description
A protestor has altered an MTA change of service notice, which originally states that the Staten Island Express will not stop at Rector Street due to "Demonstrators." A protestor crossed out the word “Demonstrators” and wrote in black marker "Protest Against Capitalism & Other Atrocities & NYPD."
Citation
Altered street closure sign, 2011; PE.029 Printed Ephemera Collection on Subjects; box 26, folder "Occupy Wall Street (Robert Reiss Donation)"; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University