By Christopher Cook 
So far, the media have either ignored or derided the Occupy Wall Street and related protests spreading across the country (now occurring daily in San Francisco). Or they've focused, much like weather reports, on the color and action but not the content of what people are saying.
Few if any reports have asked the simple question: what are they thinking, and what do they want? Beyond the signs, what do demonstrators see as both the problems and solutions in today's economic crisis--and what do they hope to accomplish? What is their vision for change?
My story offers one of the first serious looks at what the economic justice protestors are actually thinking and advocating.
This 1,500 word story will give readers a direct report from the ground on what occupation protestors hope to gain from this uprising--both immediately and in the long-term. As such it will be one of the first reports focusing on the ideas and substance of the movement, rather than the color and engagements with police.
Amid both the rising attention to the occupation protests, and the ever-clearer signs of deepening recession, this report offers a unique look at this new movement, with a rare focus on its ideas and substance.
The San Francisco Public Press has agreed to publish this piece. I am a veteran award-winning journalist for national publications such as Harper's, Mother Jones, The Economist, The Christian Science Monitor and many others. I appreciate your support to make this report possible.
