Occupy Wall Street Begins Hunger Strike

(John Minchillo/AP Photo)
Demonstrators with Occupy Wall Street began a hunger strike today, demanding an outdoor space by a New York City church for a new occupation two weeks after being evicted from their encampment nearby.
Protesters said they are seeking sanctuary on a vacant lot owned by Trinity Church, which is located at the intersection of Wall Street and Broadway.
“The is a chance for Trinity to definitely decide whether they’re a church or real estate company,” protester Diego Ibanez said.
The strike will be held at Duarte Square on Sixth Avenue and Canal Street in lower Manhattan, and the protest organizers said the hunger strike would be continued in jail if demonstrators are arrested.
“If we do get arrested, which seems most likely like we will be, we will continue the strike in jail,” Ibanez said.
The weather has changed since Occupy Wall Street began its activities on Sept. 17, but Ibanez said he and other hunger strikers are prepared for the winter weather.
“Definitely cold, it’s getting a lot colder lately, but I’m wearing a bunch of layers, that’s like for sure,” he said.
The New York Occupy protesters said they hope that other Occupy groups around the country that have been forced out of their encampments will join them in the hunger strike, to make that a national movement as well.
“We’re definitely going to call for more people to join us throughout the week, with solidarity hunger strikes,” Ibanez said.
According to the statement from occupywallstreet.org, the hunger strike is not only about getting a new site for the demonstrators, but about keeping the movement alive in the face of “government-enacted violence and repression.”
“I am definitely worried about being hungry and being sick, that’s definitely crossing my mind but I am more worried about people being apathetic,” Ibanez said.
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LOL!!!!! What a bunch of morons!!!!
Posted by: wact1 | December 3, 2011, 11:13 pm 11:13 pm
Starve!!! Who cares!!! I am just glad I do not live in a city where there idiots “occupy”!!!
Posted by: NCconserv | December 3, 2011, 11:13 pm 11:13 pm
Now that takes courage!
Posted by: john locke | December 3, 2011, 11:18 pm 11:18 pm
Who gives a flying fig if they starve. When are they going to look for jobs. Tired to paying taxes to support them. Not even close to 1% , just work for a living to pay the bills…
Posted by: firedup49 | December 3, 2011, 11:29 pm 11:29 pm
If you don’t give me what I want, I’ll starve myself. And they wonder why they’ve become a laughing stock
Posted by: Danny | December 3, 2011, 11:31 pm 11:31 pm
And if that doesn’t work I’m going to hold my breath until I turn blue..
Posted by: allen | December 3, 2011, 11:48 pm 11:48 pm
Sounds like the problem will take care of itself. As long as the sanitation workers don’t have a contract clause letting them out of removing deceased deadbeats from the parks.
Posted by: VoiceofReason | December 4, 2011, 12:10 am 12:10 am
Soon enough they’ll start eating each other. Dumb Zombies.
Posted by: LOL | December 4, 2011, 12:12 am 12:12 am
Reading the responses left thus far makes me weep for the future of America.
Which of you have even taken the time to learn about what their movement stands for (from their own published words) and which have blindly accepted the dumbing down of OWS which you have been spoon-fed by the likes of FoxNews and ABC/NBC/CBS?
To think, these are AMERICAN citizens, standing up FOR THEIR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS TO PEACEFULLY ASSEMBLE in nonviolent protest of government policies favoring corporate interest over those of the citizenry, and you don’t even have a soul enough to ponder the issue at hand, only joke about how they deserve to die?
Absolutely pathetic. How do you look at yourself in the mirror when you wake up and call yourself human? You are vermin, nothing more.
Posted by: JerryNebel | December 4, 2011, 1:11 am 1:11 am
*sighs softly* It is a sad day when we joke about our own people dying in a vacant lot because we are too tired of listening to them chant about a real issue. If I possibly could, I would be right there with them. *gives the responders a sarcastic salute* Have fun acting like the apathetic twits you are. The rest of us are going to to change our country. Join us if you change your mind.
Posted by: CodyP | December 4, 2011, 1:29 am 1:29 am
I wonder how many of them smoke tabaco products.
Posted by: John | December 4, 2011, 1:32 am 1:32 am
Orchard Bank just hit me with a $75.00 service charge on a credit limit of $300.00 with a 25% interest rate on top of it. Is this Corporate Greed. I’ll be surprised if this comment is allow to be read. Keep the protests going. Sit in jail where it is warm and eat three meals a day. Just don’t leave when they try to kick you out.
Posted by: John | December 4, 2011, 1:51 am 1:51 am
My first amendment right just go squashed.
Posted by: john | December 4, 2011, 1:54 am 1:54 am
HEY ALL fellow SLAVES who have written these negative comments regarding occupy …..these “ZOMBIES” are gathering and starting a war….. the war against the elite …. who have taken our jobs OVER SEAS…taken us to illegal war for profits and protection of their oil, and because of our increase in work force have been able to create a slave state …….our wages havent increased in proportion to our production since the 1970s we now work 20% more than in the past and produce more for less wages. this has never been done before in our history ……… that = BIG PROFITS for the 1% ….then because we do not have wages to live the “american dream” the elite say we will lend you this extra money we have now (cause we stole your wages ) back to you for interest so you can buy a house which = more profits …then we will F up the housing market buy making risky loans…(cause you cant pay back because your broke) packaging these loans selling them on wallstreet make huge profits and drive up housing market /housing bubble that burst…so then you lose all your money….. the elite/ 1% have taken profits and purchsed our government …..recently discovered our government gave the BANKS a secret loan from the government aka YOU the american people) ..,they borrowed get this 7.7 trillion from you for 0.01% and then the elite lend that back out to you for a higher interest ….and then the CEOS who bankrupted their banks got BONUSES cause they made 13 BILLION dollars from the profits of that loan booooyaaaaa
Posted by: pbarrsar | December 4, 2011, 2:13 am 2:13 am
firdup49 thinks he is the 1% cause he has a job? dude I am so sorry to break it to you ….you are the 99% and some of your taxes are being loaned to the banker at a discounted rate and then you borrow from them for a higher interest rate. occupy is just trying to wake up the 99% (you)
Posted by: pbarrsar | December 4, 2011, 2:42 am 2:42 am
this movement is a farce of wayward mental head caes young adults, as time goes on we will see and findout these people have a background with personal mental issues in their lives.
Posted by: rick reed | December 4, 2011, 3:20 am 3:20 am
I’m not getting why I should care that they are on a hunger strike. They could commit mass suicide. I wouldn’t care about that either.
Posted by: frankblourtango | December 4, 2011, 3:35 am 3:35 am
It’s very unfortunate that city officials will intervene and save them from starving to death.
Posted by: Jim J | December 4, 2011, 3:43 am 3:43 am
Really? wayward mental head cases? Who is the moron that posted that?
Try Yale graduate, Marine Corps veteran. Yes, I’m OWS. Stop the idiocy and realize OWS
IS the middle class. Is America really that dumb not too get this?
God help us! Does anyone read anymore?
Posted by: OWS supporter | December 4, 2011, 3:52 am 3:52 am
“To think, these are AMERICAN citizens, standing up FOR THEIR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS TO PEACEFULLY ASSEMBLE”
No, they are not standing up for that.
“in nonviolent”
False. They have committed MANY acts of violence already.
“protest of government policies favoring corporate interest over those of the citizenry”
Baloney. They have always supported the type of legislation and politicians that resulted in government policies favoring corporate interest over the citizenry. This protest is their way of not taking responsibility for those actions. Blame someone else. The type of legislation and politicians those in the OWS movement supported is PRECISELY why government policies favor corporate interests.
Posted by: MJS | December 4, 2011, 7:00 am 7:00 am
Is this going to be one of those “liberal” hunger strikes like Cindy Sheehan went on? Jamba Juice, melted ice cream, smoothies. . .
Posted by: Jenny AnyDots | December 4, 2011, 7:12 am 7:12 am
Hey, OWS! We, the real 99% have seen your protests, read your signs, watched your actions, and then gone back to work, taking care of our families, and living our lives. We don’t need you, we didn’t elect you to represent us. Clean up your messes and go home. We will change the system the way we want through the democratic system we vote for. Pay your bills, or don’t get into them. Go to work, whether you like the job or not. And quit acting like little kids. Grow up, grow some, and take responsibility for yourself like the real 99% have.
Posted by: Bob Singer | December 4, 2011, 7:20 am 7:20 am
I never have understood the logic of the hunger strike.
So you aren’t going to eat so that you starve and die?
You promise?!!!!!!
Posted by: Rick H. | December 4, 2011, 7:28 am 7:28 am
“HEY ALL fellow SLAVES who have written these negative comments regarding occupy …..these “ZOMBIES” are gathering and starting a war….. the war against the elite …. who have taken our jobs OVER SEAS…taken us to illegal war for profits and protection of their oil, and because of our increase in work force have been able to create a slave state …….our wages havent increased in proportion to our production since the 1970s we now work 20% more than in the past and produce more for less wages. this has never been done before in our history ……… that = BIG PROFITS for the 1% ….then because we do not have wages to live the “american dream” the elite say we will lend you this extra money we have now (cause we stole your wages ) back to you for interest so you can buy a house which = more profits …then we will F up the housing market buy making risky loans…(cause you cant pay back because your broke) packaging these loans selling them on wallstreet make huge profits and drive up housing market /housing bubble that burst…so then you lose all your money….. the elite/ 1% have taken profits and purchsed our government …..recently discovered our government gave the BANKS a secret loan from the government aka YOU the american people) ..,they borrowed get this 7.7 trillion from you for 0.01% and then the elite lend that back out to you for a higher interest ….and then the CEOS who bankrupted their banks got BONUSES cause they made 13 BILLION dollars from the profits of that loan booooyaaaaa” your right about everything except the history part theres this time after civil war and between the world war II that this did happen and it took about 30 some odd years to sort out. Also the protesters haven’t ever been violent the police have egged them on and have sent undercover police members to act violent to give the state an excuse to throw them out of the park. The weird thing is neither party will stand up for these people thats how much of a strangle hold special intrest’s have over the government. Also when the constitution talked about minority rights it ment the rich vs the poor just look at Shay’s rebellion.
Posted by: Raammson | December 4, 2011, 7:34 am 7:34 am
Are not these people a danger to some law man, since they are obviously a danger to themselves, couldn’t a law man trip over one of them and seriously hurt himself. Thats enough for 30 days in the kahoots and few pills to straightn out your mind.
Posted by: RP---STAR | December 4, 2011, 7:36 am 7:36 am
The BEST thing is these people have the support of Obama and Pelosi (and many, many other left wing zealots).
Posted by: s | December 4, 2011, 7:40 am 7:40 am
@RP—Star, when the news talks about police officers being injured they count the officers that acciedently spray their pepper spray the wrong way and spran an ankle moving a barricade or trip on the side-walk. You clearly have never dealt with the buerocracy that is the NY police system. Its also a convient way to get disablility benifits for officers who are too lazy to work for em. In actuallity I doubt there are many violent protesters that weren’t egged into I don’t see any videos of violent protesters in the news or online but theres plenty of police ones.
Posted by: Raammson | December 4, 2011, 7:43 am 7:43 am
Do what you want ows, but you must obey the law which is something you failed to do up to this point. I don’t feel an ounce of sorrow for some thugs who get what they deserve when they throw urine in the faces of the police. You drew first blood, not the cops. You absolutely destroy the grounds which you are on. The city had to clean up your last site with bio hazard suits on, now that is disgusting.
This is the USA where our system is a democratic republic. It is NOT this marxist utopia which you somehow think it is. If you don’t like how something is or they way things are, change the way you vote. You don’t get to throw a tantrum and demand government should just change because you said so. Yet, I feel that falls on deaf ears as most of these ows will vote the very same people back in and expect a different result. That is the definition of insane you know.
Posted by: trish | December 4, 2011, 7:57 am 7:57 am
OK, if they won’t “go away” on their own then get the fire hoses and wash the scum off the streets. if these bums want to take from us then they’d better get ready for the battle.
Posted by: rplat | December 4, 2011, 8:17 am 8:17 am
Those against OWS are glad the bankers are screwing them!
Posted by: blind spot | December 4, 2011, 8:24 am 8:24 am
Talk about delusions of grandeur. Now they’re all Gandhi?
Posted by: BCT | December 4, 2011, 8:30 am 8:30 am
There are no winners and no losers. We all get a medal!
Posted by: kris | December 4, 2011, 9:03 am 9:03 am
The problem most folks have with OWS is the definition thing. Most of their objections to society seem to be common marxist ideology. Someone else is financially successful and I’m not, therefore I want to tear up everything. The excesses (wall street bonuses, etc) can be cleaned up with real regulation, but the current administration is the most corrupt in modern times (GE, Petrobras, Solyndra, etc, etc etc), and most of the OWS people defend them and vote for them.
Posted by: bill | December 4, 2011, 9:06 am 9:06 am
Hey guys, these people aren’t being supported by your tax dollars. And even if they were, I’d be more concerned about your tax dollars going directly to rich people through subsidies and tax breaks.
Posted by: Steph | December 4, 2011, 9:20 am 9:20 am
“To think, these are AMERICAN citizens, standing up FOR THEIR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS TO PEACEFULLY ASSEMBLE. . .”
The problem I have with OWS is that they cherry-pick the Bill of Rights for their own leftist agenda. I don’t see them supporting the right to bear arms or the alarming restriction of American rights in response to the War on Terror. If they presented a serious threat to the ruling class, government would never be so tolerant to their urban summer camps.
So OWS, what happens next when the hunger strike fails? Will you get together in Zuccotti, hold your breathes and stamp your feet?
Posted by: Calista728 | December 4, 2011, 9:25 am 9:25 am
I say we do what we can to encourage their hunger strike. With the vast majority of American strongly against everything these turds stand for, their response is……….. we’re going to kill ourselves……………..Sounds like the problem is solved. These lazy, stinky, moronic, dope smoking turds should win the Darwinism Award. And for the few that have written posts in support of ows, you should show your solidarity with ows by joining in their hunger strike. Soon what is left of Obama’s already dwindling constituency will eradicate itself and conservatism will continue its rise.
Posted by: 48A30 | December 4, 2011, 9:31 am 9:31 am
This hunger strike is the first good idea to come out of this group as long as they don’t expect someone else to go hungry for them.
Posted by: ray | December 4, 2011, 9:43 am 9:43 am
I’m wondering what they they will do when the first big snow storm of the season hits? Demand that people provide them shelter & food so they can continue protesting? Demand that churches, businesses, individuals allow them to squat in their businesses & land?
Do they have a right to protest? Sure. Do they have the right to demand that other people support them in their protests? No.
Posted by: Clem F. | December 4, 2011, 9:43 am 9:43 am
OWS are morons and slackers! Go get a job deadbeats! NO ONE feels sorry for lazy slackers!
Posted by: Joseph | December 4, 2011, 10:10 am 10:10 am
Please starve yourselves and become sick. That’s really going to teach me. These are the same people who as children probably beat their heads on the floor in a tantrum.
Posted by: Derrick | December 4, 2011, 10:12 am 10:12 am
Drinking sugar water does not constitute a hunger strike. This is just a gimmic. And contrary to the the sign in the article if you die of hunger you will go away.
Posted by: Marc | December 4, 2011, 10:15 am 10:15 am
OWS Translation – You own something we want so we are going to force you to give us the use of it without paying rent, taxes or maintainance costs. Gotta love ‘mob rule’.
Posted by: Irony Tag | December 4, 2011, 10:31 am 10:31 am
Some of you need to look up the definition of “assemble” and “occupy”..
Posted by: allen | December 4, 2011, 10:40 am 10:40 am
Going on a hunger strike?…..I’m still trying to figure out if that is a promise or a threat..
Posted by: Whining Occupier | December 4, 2011, 10:43 am 10:43 am
Wave a Chipolte’s burrito under their noses and I bet some of those morons would break. Ha! But seriously, who cares!!!
Posted by: Patrick | December 4, 2011, 10:54 am 10:54 am
You’ve made your point…pretending to starve will not make it more poignant. The best thing all of you can do at this point is go home. The most important place to make your point now is at the polls next year.
Posted by: Debbie Gomez | December 4, 2011, 11:28 am 11:28 am
A PRETEND hunger strike is what this is.
Posted by: angie | December 4, 2011, 12:25 pm 12:25 pm
Well if they had an inkling of credibility before today they just tossed that out the window.
Posted by: ginny | December 4, 2011, 1:12 pm 1:12 pm
Why does Trinity need to make a decision? I don’t think they do – they can just keep on keepin’ on!
Posted by: John S | December 4, 2011, 5:35 pm 5:35 pm
don’t you think it’s funny that a middle movement/uprising is going to finally venture into the hood of nyc aka east new york brooklyn, to show the plight of the poor people there, did the soup kitchen in east new york letting ows use it to cook their gourmet meals end? or is it that ows is desperate now and are trying to exploit the poor, to continue their movie of the week movement.
Posted by: baugh gleason | December 4, 2011, 5:40 pm 5:40 pm
Seeing as how they also believe in evolution, I’m thinking Natural Selection should do the trick … Might even purge this receive gene …
Posted by: EBizGuru | December 4, 2011, 6:56 pm 6:56 pm
What a bunch of losers!
Go on a hunger strike, get sick, taken to hospital, medical care provided by ME, a taxpayer, then perhaps I’ll start protesting against taking care of them.
Posted by: Gaye G | December 4, 2011, 7:25 pm 7:25 pm
Why are they having to propose such extreme measures to, in their words, “keep the movement alive”? All I’ve been hearing from them for the past three months is how popular they are 99% of the country and how they “aren’t going anywhere’. What gives?
Oh, and is this going to be one of those “rolling hunger strikes” where one person “starves” for 8 hours and then passes it off to someone else, or one that considers drinking several fruit smoothies a day a “hunger strike” a la Cindy Sheehan and Code Pink?
LOL
Posted by: dandi | December 4, 2011, 10:17 pm 10:17 pm
Where is the LOVE??? The 1% gave us the Dot-Com boom, the EV1 electric car to lease (until they recalled all of them and detroyed them all)… the 1% gave us hand-over-fist loans during Bush’s second term, they gave us the World Trade Organization that allows us to move to India in order to find work in the USA by being outsourced. The 1% also gave use the notion that ‘capitalist democracy’ is the same concept as ‘democratic replublic’. We show no appreciation for all that has been given to us… all the money we could had made if we THE 99% didnt screw it up by our own selves… No one stuck a gun to our heads to make us all spend and get in debt. Hey, as long as the 1% allow us to spend on flat screen TVs, video games, sport events, shopping sprees, an SUV and alcohol/drugs… we wont REALLY do anything outside of complain about our commute to work and brag about how we didnt take a vacation or about how much overtime we work (you know you love bragging like that). We the 99% are pretentious, lazy and ignorant. How can we NOT have a 1%… ??? God bless the 1%… THEY ARE PEOPLE TOO :-) Merry christmas!!! Happy Kwanza!!! ShamalamaRamadana!!! We the 99% are American citizens, so its all about ‘doing something’ w/out actualling DOING SOMETHING: Go! Team! Occupy!!!!
Posted by: AaronBrowne | December 5, 2011, 11:36 am 11:36 am
So OWS people are useing coercive tactics to take property from the owners for their own use. That makes them just like land developers and other Wall Street types.
Posted by: Annie Rhys-Davis | December 5, 2011, 11:39 am 11:39 am
Wow. This behavior is tantamount to throwing themselves on the floor, kicking and screaming, and holding their breath until they turn blue. Little whiny crybabies. Give me a break.
Posted by: Cate | December 5, 2011, 6:34 pm 6:34 pm
I feel compassion for anyone who’s suffering in this economy and I respect people who are willing to go on hunger strikes for their causes. Having said that, I feel like the Occupy movement should be protesting Obama’s putting GE CEO FATCAT Jeffrey Immelt (whose company pays zero taxes and who deports jobs to China) on his jobs committee. What kind of cruel joke is that? Address the illegal importation of unskilled labor in order to drive down American wages and the exportation of American jobs and technology to China and things might just improve for the average working American. Ignore it and nothing else matters.
Posted by: Jerry | December 8, 2011, 12:21 am 12:21 am
Wait when can the occupy a desk movement start…….
Posted by: Kat | December 8, 2011, 9:47 pm 9:47 pm
I’m actually all for the OWS movement, but this hunger strike seems misguided. Hunger striking is a very serious form of protest. Best to save that for when the US government starts killing protestors (which they eventually will).
Posted by: Some Dude | December 12, 2011, 10:30 am 10:30 am