Occupy Branford: What the Organizer Has to Say

At 4 p.m. today, Dr. Marc Schwartz is on the Town Green to begin voicing their opinions about the global Occupy movement and what it means for Branford residents.

Schwartz and four other people decided Thursday night to organize Occupy Branford and the event is intend to offer residents a microphone and a few minutes to voice their grievances and opinions.

Unable to pinpoint exactly one ideal of the movement he personally most agrees with, Schwartz said the New York group who launched Occupy Wall Street on Sept. 17 has a manifesto of about 17 points he identifies with. If he had to chose one issue, Schwartz said he’s hoping for a more representative government through the Occupy events.

Schwartz moved to Branford from New Haven eight years ago and is 78; he’s hoping someone else will carry the torch for these events. When asked if he’s the leader of Occupy Branford, he said there are no leaders in this movement. He was, however, willing to explain a little bit about what his hopes are for the Branford event and the national movement.

Branford Patch: What are expectations for Occupy Branford?
Dr. Marc Schwartz: We’re looking for a large number of people to discuss issues at an emotional level because really, it’s an emotional issue. A lot of people have a lot of passion about how wealth s distributed in this country. It’s very difficult to figure out the ways it can be changed. People need to put their heads together and their votes together to get more accountability from government officials.

Branford Patch: Have you ever participated in other public protest movements?
Dr. Marc Schwartz: I have. I was on the Martin Luther King march from Selma.

Branford Patch: Are you protesting anything locally or just standing with the national cause?
Dr. Marc Schwartz: I couldn’t put my finger on anything specifically locally but I do think it’s a local, state and national issue. I think we need to work out some ways to make sure there is some ongoing accountability; not every four years.

Branford Patch: What do you envision 4 p.m. tomorrow on the Town Green to be like?
Dr. Marc Schwartz: What I’d like to do with the people who are there is meet and mingle and then I’d like each person who wants to speak to speak about what issues they have and why. The heart of it is really getting people to get to know each other and speak their voice. I hope this will not be one-day event.

Branford Patch: Do you hope a group will form from this?
Dr. Marc Schwartz: Yes.

Branford Patch: Is there one sentiment of the Occupy group that most adhere to or identify with?
Dr. Marc Schwartz: No. I don’t really want to be a leader and a spokesman; that has to come from the people who were there [on Wall Street]. The New York group has put out a manifesto.

Branford Patch: Have you ever felt that the system was in your favor or the favor of the 99 percent? Has it always been bad?
Dr. Marc Schwartz: If you take a look at the charts of how wealth was distributed, it has not been like this since 1928. It slowly went down, for 25-30 years between 1950 and 1980. People always say the rich have always been rich. It’s just not true. If you don’t do something it will go on and on and get worse.