This is what democracy looks like:8 days at Occupy Wall Street | Leanne Staples

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"The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands but in seeing with new eyes."

Marcel Proust

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Leanne Staples is primarily a street, social documentary and urban land-scape photographer. Her photos have been featured in many magazines and on numerous websites. Her photos have been shown in galleries in Barcelona, Milan and New York City.

She was given her first camera at the age of 12 by her father. For many years her concentration was mainly as an architectural photographer. It was, as she has said, “an obsessive pursuit for an unreal purity”. One day, after being annoyed by people walking into her shot, she decided not to fight it anymore and instead to shoot people passing by the buildings. That began her venture into street photography!

She started out in film and after some skepticism about digital, she finally made the transition in 2006. A self-described gonzo photog, you can find her on the streets with camera in hand searching for the perfect backdrop in which to shoot. A few things that she is always seeking out are shad-ows, reflections, patterns, motion blur, clouds, graffiti, and interesting peo-ple. She studied film and literature at university and is planning on writing about photography in the very near future.

Leanne is also a Co-Founder of Shoot the Street, which was established to promote the art of street photography and showcase the best pictures from international street photographers who are passionate about the genre.

You can find out more about Leanne by visiting www.leannestaples.com

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The movement that has come to be known as Occupy Wall Street repre-sents many different things to many people, including the first time in a few decades when Americans in large numbers have taken to the streets to vent their dissatisfaction with the status quo. It is not my intention to utilize this book to voice my opinions on government or corporations. Rather it is to document this movement as an important moment in history. Few op-portunities of this stature arise for a photographer beyond traveling to a war zone to document history in the making.

The constitutional right to Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Assembly have been taken for granted for far too long and Americans have become complacent during the recent times of prosperity. So, in so far as Occupy Wall Street represents a movement in which many Americans of diverse backgrounds are making their voices heard, I embrace the movement. That said, there are many voices and they have different concerns and complaints. Hence, I do not necessarily agree with, embrace or under-stand all of them.

Unfortunately, there is a stereotype that Occupy Wall Street is just a bunch of college kids and anarchist punks. There is nothing homogenous about the 99%. Neither gender, sexual preference, race, creed, religion, age, education or livelihood can single out this group. I hope that my photos il-lustrate the diversity of voices and of people that make up this movement.

Leanne Staples8 January, 2012

This is what democracy looks like:8 days at Occupy Wall Street

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Published and edited by Joshua Evan Powellwww.joshuaevanpowell.com

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Copyright 2012, Leanne Staples. Some Rights Reserved. You are free to share this digital publication with others providing that it is not altered in any way and is distrubted free of charge. Nothing contained in this digital publication can be dis-seminated in any other way other than this original format. This digital publication and all content within are distributed for personal use only. Any commercial use of this publication or any content within is strictly prohibted. All licensing and com-mercial inquiries should be made to Leanne Staples. All Other Rights Reserved.

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Do you like the idea of supporting independent artists trying to make a living? If so please visit my website and consider purchasing some of my images.

If you enjoy my digital book and would like to make a donation, you can donate any amount via PayPal by simply clicking the Donate but-ton below. Thanks for your support!

www.leannestaples.com

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Occupation

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

First Amendment of the Bill of Rights.

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If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.

George Washington

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The occupation of Zuccotti Park was like a commune. A diverse group of people came together with different concerns working together to bring about change. It was very well organized and had the appearance of a small village with all the amenities - a miniature version of Woodstock with a focus on social justice rather than music. That was not always represented in the mainstream media.

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Community spirit was so strong and people so willing to help others that lawyers (p. 34) were offering their services for free to protestors who needed them.

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Congress shall make no law... abridging... the right of the people peaceably to assemble...

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Eviction

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We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.

John F. Kennedy

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The Thanksgiving Day celebration at Zuccotti which was after the eviction, really highlights the sense of community that exists. Hundreds of Thanksgiving meals, both turkey and vegetarian, were provided for everyone and musical entertainment was everywhere. The People's Library was open, Santa Claus made an appearance and the Revolution was televised.

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“Mic check” (p. 69) also known as the people's microphone was developed in response to New York City laws which prohibit the use of amplified sound devices without a permit. When an announce-ment needed to be made, someone would call out “mic check” followed by a message. This would then be repeated by those around them, echoing out into the community.

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Although the occupation has ended and the weather has slowed down the protests, there are a number of actions that continue and plans for the spring are already being made.

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Thanks for viewing my book, I really hope you’ve enjoyed it. You can see more of my work and connect with me on various social media platforms by visiting my website.

L e a n n e S t a p l e swww.leannestaples.com