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An Occupied West Side Story

An Occupied West Side Story
Tue, 4/17/2012

In the wake of Occupy Broadway's success and the failure of "The Big Bank" musical initiative comes the screaming-to-go-viral "Occupy West Side Story." Though perhaps less ambitious than its predecessors, this hilarious clip takes aim at NYPD Deputy Inspector Edward J. WInski (who replaced the infamous Tony Baloney) by overdubbing a classic scene from the 1961 film with new lyrics. The result is an entertaining and powerful expression of why occupiers are in the streets, how the economy collapsed, and the sad ironies surrounding the police brutality that the movement has suffered (and, it could be said, benefitted from as well). As one stanza states, "Gee, Officer Winski, please put down your mace/Your checks are paid by citizens you punch in the face/Your pension’s been stolen, and nobody cares/Deep down inside we know you’re scared."

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Article Tabs

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Their tactics to force construction of data centers even against significant opposition from local communities have become increasingly forceful and hostile.

Whether Republicans want to be the party of Christianity or the party of worshipping false idols is a question they’ll have to seriously reckon with very soon, unless they want the American electorate to speak for them.

“Storytelling teaches not through instruction, but through imagination and example,” says the Sami artist Máret Ánne Sara. “These stories don’t provide direct answers, but rather the ethical tools to navigate and sustain the world.”

Republicans’ fate in the 2026 midterms is likely sealed. But they could be out of power for multiple subsequent election cycles if Democrats are smart.

In November, Indigenous protests in London included the launch of “Bringing It All Back Home,” confronting corporate power head-on.

Republicans’ fate in the 2026 midterms is likely sealed. But they could be out of power for multiple subsequent election cycles if Democrats are smart.

Posted 1 month 2 weeks ago

Whether Republicans want to be the party of Christianity or the party of worshipping false idols is a question they’ll have to seriously reckon with very soon, unless they want the American electorate to speak for them.

Posted 1 month 2 weeks ago

Their tactics to force construction of data centers even against significant opposition from local communities have become increasingly forceful and hostile.

Posted 2 weeks 14 hours ago

“Storytelling teaches not through instruction, but through imagination and example,” says the Sami artist Máret Ánne Sara. “These stories don’t provide direct answers, but rather the ethical tools to navigate and sustain the world.”

Posted 1 month 2 weeks ago

Their tactics to force construction of data centers even against significant opposition from local communities have become increasingly forceful and hostile.