Andrew Ross Sorkin, chronicler of Wall Street, pays a visit to the occupation:
“Is this Occupy Wall Street thing a big deal?” the C.E.O. asked me. I didn’t have an answer. “We’re trying to figure out how much we should be worried about all of this,” he continued, clearly concerned. “Is this going to turn into a personal safety problem?”As I wandered around the park, it was clear to me that most bankers probably don’t have to worry about being in imminent personal danger. This didn’t seem like a brutal group — at least not yet.But the underlying message of Occupy Wall Street — which spread to Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles on Monday — is something the big banks and corporate America may finally have to grapple with before it actually does become dangerous.
The message of Occupy Wall Street, Sorkin decides, is that people want the financial industry held accountable for what has happened to the American economy, and they're willing to go all the way to "civil unrest" to get it.
Up top, the people's mic in action, our Best New Thing in the World Today. Also on Monday's show, Michael Lewis reports on the global crisis and the street response.