Proteste al Columbus Day: E' razzismo, Colombo colpevole di genocidio

dalla nostra inviata Valeria Rubino New York (New York – "Niente più parate per chi ha assassinato gli indiani d'America. Colombo è colpevole di genocidio". È il grido di tanti indiani riunitisi in Sud Dakota per celebrare il Native Americans' Day, giornata simbolo della protesta contro il Columbus Day organizzata dalla Transform Columbus Day Alliance, associazione che invita a rivedere l'opinione degli americani sul navigatore genovese. Anche a Denver, in Colorado, un gruppo di indiani d'America si è riunito per trasformare questa "festa razzista che è il Columbus Day in una celebrazione che rispetti i diritti delle minoranze e non esalti lo sfruttamento dei più deboli".vrb/gng110050 Ott 2011LPN0020 2 EST NI01 276 ITA0020;BC-US–Wall Street Protest, 1st Ld-Writethru,0498<Wall Street protests continue and spread< BC-US–Wall Street Protest, 1st Ld-Writethru,0498< Wall Street protests continue and spread< Eds: Updates with protesters briefly marching through Wall Street area. Links photo. For global distribution.<AP Photo NYAB103< NEW YORK (AP) _ With the protest on Wall Street entering its fourth week, police officers are keeping their posts surrounding the park at the center of it all as the Occupy Wall Street demonstrators say they are staying put for the long haul. “The bottom line is that people want to express themselves, and as long as they obey the laws, we allow them to,'' Mayor Michael Bloomberg told reporters Monday when asked about the protesters' staying power. “If they break the laws, then we're going to do what we're supposed to do _ enforce the laws.'' The protesters say they're fighting for the “99 percent,'' or the vast majority of Americans who do not fall into the wealthiest 1 percent of the population; their causes range from bringing down Wall Street to fighting global warming. The movement gained traction through social media, and protests have taken place in several other cities nationwide. On Monday, the Rev. Al Sharpton and rapper Kanye West made impromptu appearances at the park. Several hundred protesters briefly marched through the Wall Street neighborhood on Monday evening. A group of mothers also brought small children downtown to teach them about the movement, calling themselves the “99 Percent School.'' In Boston, hundreds of college students marched through downtown Monday and gathered on Boston Common, holding signs that read “Fund education, not corporations.'' The protesters said they're angry with an education system they say mimics what they call the “irresponsible, unaccountable, and unethical financial practices'' of Wall Street. In New York, officers from the city's First Precinct are patrolling the area near Wall Street, and other squads help out as necessary, depending on the size and movement of the demonstrators. If the crowd seems to be growing on a particular day, the NYPD dispatches more officers to the area, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said. There are many events in New York City that require a police presence, like parades, said James Parrott, deputy director and chief economist for the Fiscal Policy Institute. The NYPD has already spent $1.9 million, mostly in overtime pay, to patrol the area near Zuccotti Park, where hundreds of protesters have camped out for several weeks. By comparison, it cost about $50 million for one week to secure the Republican National Convention in 2004, which included massive protests and other events around the city. “To some extent this sort of thing happens a lot in New York City,'' Parrott said. “$2 million in the context of a $66 billion annual budget is not a deal breaker.'' Most of the protesters seem to share that view. Mark Bray, a spokesman for the protesters who was working the media table at Zuccotti Park on Monday, questioned the need for such a strong police presence in the first place. “If your argument is that police expense equals an ineffective message, how are you ever going to form a movement?'' he said.