365 Days of Occupy Wall Street—an Anniversary Timeline

James West/Mother Jones

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One year ago today, a group of protesters set up camp in Zuccotti Park, a privately owned parcel in New York City, in a protest against America’s political and financial system. The protest grew, and spread to other cities around the nation—overseas as well. In the end, it would profoundly affect the national zeitgeist, bringing to the fore the plight of the middle class, the excesses of capitalism, and the stunning growth in the gap between the very rich and the rest of us (as summed up by these viral charts compiled by MoJo senior editor Dave Gilson). Mother Jones staffers and fellows (most notably Josh Harkinson, Andy Kroll, Gavin Aronsen, and James West) were chronicling the excitement from early on. Here are some of the highlights of a movement that—while it was never quite able to revive itself after the police and winter weather drove protesters inside—has had a lasting impact on the nation. (Also read Harkinson’s new piece today, in which he tracks down five people he met at Zuccotti Park to see where they’re at now.)

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WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

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