mattlawyue
Currently in Tanzania, Africa doing media relations for the School of St Jude in Arusha.
Spent some time in public relations in NYC, and have written for SLAM Magazine, ESPN NewYork, the Boston Herald and BusinessWeek.
The College of New Jersey, '10.
Through a communications lens, it’s interesting to watch the Occupy Wall Street Protests (OWSP) develop in real time. Supposedly inspired by Tahrir Square and the Arab Spring, which was itself jolted by Mohamed Bouazizi’s self-immolation, he the martyr who doused himself in flames to defend what was left of his dignity, the OWSP by all accounts is a belated reaction to the interminable economic storm.
And as it stands, the protestors are just waiting for their own Bouaziziesque moment to call their own, not because they need any more inspiration, but to force the hand of mainstream American media to descend upon New York City to get some crowd shots, interview a few disgruntled children of Uncle Sam and spread their image to that space in between LA and NY, like only the 21st Century can - unless, you know, the police provide that moment for them, which they might have already:
About 500 arrests on the Brooklyn Bridge says NYPD.
Why they find it necessary to announce that number themselves is probably protocol, but it doesn’t do them any favors.
Take one part recognized American landmark, add a handful of people marching, mix with police and orange barricades, and let simmer until it shits a headline worthy of the front page:
Brooklyn Bridge March, 500 Arrested. Or something along those lines.
Here’s where I get really interested:
If you’re the protestors, how do you capitalize on this headline, on the national spotlight? What is the next move to keep furthering the story, to keep the legs pumping? And thinking long-term, how do your second, third, fourth actions get you from New York City to Philadelphia to Chicago to Washington etc? How do you knock down the first domino?
If you’re the NYPD, how do you minimize the damage of probable arrests made in the near future? When the protests were just that, with no police intervention, it was a story basically ignored. This becomes undone when you have physical encounters and credible pictures that can spread like wildfire through the Internet. What strategy and statements do the NYPD have in the pipeline for the “break glass in case of emergency” moment?
Time will tell which side has a better grasp on their communications.
UPDATE:
500 arrests have now risen to more than 700.
