Meet Occupy Wall Street protester that dressed-down Fox News
Oct 24, 2011, 8:57 AM | Updated: Oct 25, 2011, 6:24 am
Some voices are starting to stand out from the crowd in the Occupy Wall Street movement.
Jesse LaGreca gained national attention when a Fox News reporter approached him at an Occupy Wall Street demonstration.
The interview captured in this video never aired on Fox.
“What happens with Fox News Corporation in particular is that they leave the truth on the cutting room floor and they just kind of push the kind of narrative that they want,” said LaGreca in an appearance on 97.3 KIRO FM’s Ross and Burbank Show. “I’ve actually done several interviews with Fox since then and they refuse to air any of them.”
Listen to The Emerging Face of Wall Street Occupation: Jesse LaGreca
While LaGreca is proving a well-spoken voice for the movement, he says he’s not in a position to speak for everyone.
“We really have to come to a conclusion as a movement, as a national movement, on what our goals are going to be,” says LaGreca. “At the same time, I encourage people to talk about how it affects you personally, talk about your grievances, talk about the things that motivated you to be there yourself.”
LaGreca offered Ross and Burbank a few reasons that he occupies.
Watch Jesse LaGreca on Ross and Burbank:
“My mother for instance had a stroke two years ago, she’s on a fixed income, she doesn’t have good health care, that’s one reason why I occupy. My brother is starting his own small business and he’s crushed under debt, under student loans, he can’t keep up with his bills, he recently took a pay cut at his job, that’s why I occupy.”
He says that while the specific demands of the movement are hard to clarify at this point, the general purpose should be clear. “When we’re approached by the media and they ask, ‘Well, why are you here?’ It’s really obvious. I’m kind of insulted that I have to explain it to some people.”
“It’s pretty obvious when you’re telling 99 percent of America that their future is going to have to be postponed, that the next decade’s probably going to be a lost decade, but the CEO pay is just going straight through the roof anyway,” says LaGreca. “That massive gap between working class people and the wealthiest people in society can no longer be denied.”
While the Occupy Wall Street demonstrators work to clarify their position, LaGreca says their presence at the protests serves the cause to raise awareness.
“There is no one single policy that will address all the grievances, all the lawlessness, all the inequality, we need a movement, we need a larger conversation,” says LaGreca. “I think by bearing witness and just being there, we’re creating consciousness.”
By JAMIE GRISWOLD, MyNorthwest.com Editor
