Occupy Wall Street is notorious for its members’ consistently deft use of social media platforms. Ever since the September 17th occupation of Zuccotti Park began, protestors have been communicating through centralized Twitter handles and Facebook pages to keep one another informed and to raise awareness and non-local support.
In fact, Occupy Wall Street’s use of social media was so encompassing that occupiers took home two trophies from this year’s Shorty Awards in the categories of Activism and Microblog of the Year for Tumblr.
So, as Occupy Wall Street begins to gain momentum this spring in preparation for the May 1 general strike, and as lesser-known occupy movements around the U.S. begin their actions this April, we thought it would be beneficial to provide a list of Who to Follow on Twitter for the Occupy movement.
Peruse the list below, and follow the accounts you find most interesting and informative. Otherwise, follow our OccupyNews list to keep yourself up-to-date on the Occupy movement.
___
@OccupyWallSt – Though no one would claim to be the voice of the entire Occupy movement, this account is the official handle of the occupywallst.org website, and has been keeping protestors informed since the occupation’s early days.
@OccupyWallStNYC – A highly active, highly informative account, @OccupyWallStNYC was given the nod for Activism at this year’s Shorty Awards. It’s yet to be seen if user Jason Wedes will be melting the trophy down to share with the rest of the 99%, as the Daily Show’s Jason Jones suggested at the awards ceremony.
@OccupyOakland – Occupy Oakland gained international fame last fall as members clashed with police on numerous occasions. As a result of the sanctioned police action, both Mayor Jean Quan’s legal advisor and deputy mayor resigned from their positions.
@OccupyChicago – Follow this account to keep up on the Windy City’s occupation, found regularly on Jackson and LaSalle in Chicago’s financial district.
@OccupyLondon – England’s Occupy London has been in action since mid-October of last year.
@OccupyArrests – This account documents arrests at occupations around the globe. The current tally, for those who are curious, is pushing 7,.
@OccupyTheHood – Occupy the Hood operates in cities all across the United States, working for the “liberation, benefit and improvement of the quality of life of disenfranchised People of Color.”
@OccupyMARINES – Yes, there is an organized contingent of men and women in uniform working in support of the Occupy movement. Also be sure to check out @OccupyArmy and @OccupyNavy.
@WomenOccupy – This account is dedicated to maintaining the occupations as safe spaces for women and to shedding light on any sexism or misogyny taking place within or around the movement.
@OccupyDesign – Occupy Design is dedicated to translating the movement into image form. Check out occupydesign.org to get a better picture of what they’re about.
@OccupyTogether – This handle is dedicated to maintaining and building relationships between and a community of all occupations around the globe. Their work can be found at occupytogether.org.
@grimwomyn – Priscilla Grim, co-editor and promoter of the ‘We Are the 99%‘ Tumblr, was once singled out by Dan Rather as “the real moving force behind” Occupy Wall Street. She and the 99% Tumblr’s anonymous creator, Chris, took home the Shorty award this year for Microblog of the Year for Tumblr.
@justinewedes – This is the personal Twitter handle for Justin Wedes, the occupier who this year accepted the Shorty award for Activism for the @OccupyWallStNYC account.
@Timcast – Tim Pool has gained much recognition for his live broadcasts from the Occupy Wall Street movement, transporting Americans from their living rooms to Zuccotti Park since the occupation’s early days.
@OWSLibrary – You didn’t know Occupy Wall Street had a library? Well, they do. And their library has a Twitter account.
@OccupyHomes – Occupy Homes, in essence, fights to keep people in their homes, even after they’ve been evicted or their houses have been foreclosed upon by the banks. Their Twitter profile states, “Invite us over b4 date of eviction. We won’t go!” They’re not kidding.
@JesseLaGreca – This blogger-turned-protest-celebrity gained stardom last fall for his deft dismantling of a Fox news producer in a Zuccotti Park interview.
@Occupy_PR – Did you think Puerto Rico, the unincorporated territory of the United States, wouldn’t be part of the Occupy network? Well, they are. Que lo sigas.
As always, let us know if we’ve missed any major accounts, and we’ll gladly add them to the list.