In the middle of the night, the police move in to raid the encampment. What follows is chaotic, emotional, and unforgettable. But the story doesn't end when the tents come down. Former occupiers reflect on the movement's surprising legacy, the political forces it helped unleash, and what its successes and failures can teach us about organizing in an age of rising authoritarianism.

Want to dive deeper? Listen to these episodes of Future Hindsight:

To learn more about canceling student debt, listen to this episode with Braxton Brewington of the Debt Collective: https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/cancel-student-debt-braxton-brewington

To learn more about campaign finance reform and money in politics, tune in to this conversation with Tiffany Muller of End Citizens United: https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/the-politics-of-corruption-tiffany-muller

For a conversation on grassroots activism and sustainable community organizing, listen to this episode with Michael Ansara: https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/turning-hope-into-action-michael-ansara

To learn more about why now is the time for a third political party, tune in to this conversation with Maurice Mitchell of the Working Families Party: https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/wfp-represents-you-maurice-mitchell

To learn more about effective ways to resist and organize in the Trump era, listen to this conversation with Daniel Hunter: https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/resist-and-organize-daniel-hunter

Subscribe to our Patreon for early access to episodes:

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Credits:

Host / Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer / Writer: Maria Luisa Tucker

Audio Producer: Zack Travis

Additional production help: Mia Warren, Erika Gjada, Megan Detrie, Lizzie Jacobs, and Ilya Magazanin

Archival research: Marisa Holmes

Archival material courtesy of: Occupy Wall Street Media Working Group.

Original music: Rude Mechanical Orchestra and Puge Ruhe

Special thanks to T.J. Raphael, Lauren Passell, Arielle Nissenblatt, and Kate Blumenfeld for being our first listeners and sounding boards, and to Tom Koenig for his support.

Distributed by PRX

As the weather gets colder and tents go up, life inside the encampment grows more complicated. Questions of safety and accountability become increasingly urgent, but occupiers have wildly different ways of responding to the problems. It turns out that the movement's greatest strength—its openness—may also be its greatest vulnerability.

Want to dive deeper? Listen to these episodes of Future Hindsight:

To learn more about how the infrastructure of our society makes sexual assault more likely, listen to this episode with Jennifer S. Hirsch & Shamus Khan, co-authors of Sexual Citizens: A Landmark Study of Sex, Power, and Assault on Campus: https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/episode/sexual-citizens-jennifer-s-hirsch-shamus-khan

For a conversation about Kingian non-violence and de-escalation tactics, tune in to this conversation with Julianne Hoffenberg: https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/episode/julianne-hoffenberg

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Credits:

Host / Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer / Writer: Maria Luisa Tucker

Audio Producer: Zack Travis

Additional production help: Mia Warren, Erika Gjada, Megan Detrie, Lizzie Jacobs, and Ilya Magazanin

Archival research: Marisa Holmes

Archival material courtesy of: Occupy Wall Street Media Working Group.

Original music: Rude Mechanical Orchestra and Puge Ruhe

Special thanks to T.J. Raphael, Lauren Passell, Arielle Nissenblatt, and Kate Blumenfeld for being our first listeners and sounding boards, and to Tom Koenig for his support.

Distributed by PRX

A month in, the Occupy movement goes global, but pressure is mounting from every direction. A hipster cop confirms that police have infiltrated. Rumors of sabotage are circulating. The authorities want to kick the occupiers out. The movement is able to win a major victory—but even the most committed activists are starting to get worn out.

Want to dive deeper? Listen to these episodes of Future Hindsight:

For a primer on surveillance capitalism, tune in to this conversation with Shoshanna Zuboff: https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/episode/surveillance-capitalism-shoshana-zuboff?rq=surveillance

To learn more about how the government is using counterinsurgency tactics against American citizens, listen to this episode with Bernard Harcourt: https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/episode/ending-the-counter-revolution-bernard-harcourt?rq=surveillance

To learn more about the use of strategic racism to divide the left, listen to this episode with Ian Haney Lopez: https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/episode/strategic-racism-is-a-divide-and-conquer-scam-ian-haney-lopez?rq=haney

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Sponsor:

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Credits:

Host / Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer / Writer: Maria Luisa Tucker

Audio Producer: Zack Travis

Additional production help: Mia Warren, Erika Gjada, Megan Detrie, Lizzie Jacobs, and Ilya Magazanin

Archival research: Marisa Holmes

Archival material courtesy of: Occupy Wall Street Media Working Group.

Original music: Rude Mechanical Orchestra and Puge Ruhe

Special thanks to T.J. Raphael, Lauren Passell, Arielle Nissenblatt, and Kate Blumenfeld for being our first listeners and sounding boards, and to Tom Koenig for his support.

Distributed by PRX

When a march reaches the Brooklyn Bridge, a split-second decision changes everything. Hundreds of people face arrest – and deeper questions emerge about the power dynamics and strategy within the movement. How can they contain the chaos of an ever-growing, leaderless movement? And should Occupy work with politicians and celebrities, or remain fiercely independent?

Want to dive deeper? Listen to these episodes of Future Hindsight:

Tune in to this conversation with Stephanie Luce for a practical guide to understand and build durable power: https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/how-underdogs-build-power-stephanie-luce

To learn more about direct democracy in action, tune in to this episode with Hélène Landemore: https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/democracy-without-politicians-hlne-landemore

For a conversation on how unions are at the the intersection of economic policy and democracy, tune in to this conversation with Alex Hertel-Fernandez: https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/democracys-unfinished-promise-alex-hertel-fernandez

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Sponsor:

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Credits:

Host / Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer / Writer: Maria Luisa Tucker

Audio Producer: Zack Travis

Additional production help: Mia Warren, Erika Gjada, Megan Detrie, Lizzie Jacobs, and Ilya Magazanin

Archival research: Marisa Holmes

Archival material courtesy of: Occupy Wall Street Media Working Group.

Original music: Rude Mechanical Orchestra and Puge Ruhe

Special thanks to T.J. Raphael, Lauren Passell, Arielle Nissenblatt, and Kate Blumenfeld for being our first listeners and sounding boards, and to Tom Koenig for his support.

Distributed by PRX

The encampment grows as anarchist organizers introduce radical new ways of making decisions and taking action. Armed with livestreams, smartphones, and social media, participants invite the world to watch—and join. Then, a shocking encounter with police is captured on camera, transforming a local protest into a national story overnight.

Want to dive deeper? Listen to these episodes of Future Hindsight:

For a primer on how the media repeats talking points from the police, listen to Alec Karakatsanis on Copaganda: https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/resist-copaganda-alec-karakatsanis?rq=karakatsa

Listen to this conversation about capturing injustice on camera with Jackie Zammuto at Witness: https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/episode/jackie-zammuto?rq=police

To learn about the impact of social media on how Americans interact with politics, tune in to this episode with Alice Marwick: https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/episode/building-power-online-alice-marwick?rq=movement

Subscribe to our Patreon for early access to episodes:

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Credits:

Host / Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer / Writer: Maria Luisa Tucker

Audio Producer: Zack Travis

Additional production help: Mia Warren, Erika Gjada, Megan Detrie, Lizzie Jacobs, and Ilya Magazanin

Archival research: Marisa Holmes

Archival material courtesy of: Occupy Wall Street Media Working Group.

Original music: Rude Mechanical Orchestra and Puge Ruhe

Special thanks to T.J. Raphael, Lauren Passell, Arielle Nissenblatt, and Kate Blumenfeld for being our first listeners and sounding boards, and to Tom Koenig for his support.

Distributed by PRX

In 2011, a handful of skeptical New Yorkers answer a call to Occupy Wall Street. What they find feels less like a protest and more like a glimpse of a different world—one where people openly share stories of debt, hardship, and frustration. They start to build an anti-capitalist village in a tiny Manhattan park — under the watchful eyes of police.

Want to dive deeper? Listen to these episodes of Future Hindsight:

For a conversation on activism with a co-founder of Occupy Wall Street, tune in to this episode with Micah White:

https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/episode/micah-white

For a recap of how American capitalism evolved into what it is today, listen to this episode with Kurt Andersen:

https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/episode/americas-evil-geniuses-kurt-andersen

On solidarity and mutual aid, listen to this conversation with Manuel Pastor:

https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/episode/solidarity-and-mutuality-manuel-pastor

Subscribe to our Patreon for early access to episodes:

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Sponsor:

Shopify: Stop waiting for permission to build something. Your next revenue stream starts free at shopify.com/hopeful

Credits:

Host / Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer / Writer: Maria Luisa Tucker

Audio Producer: Zack Travis

Additional production help: Mia Warren, Erika Gjada, Megan Detrie, Lizzie Jacobs, and Ilya Magazanin

Archival research: Marisa Holmes

Archival material courtesy of: Occupy Wall Street Media Working Group.

Original music: Rude Mechanical Orchestra and Puge Ruhe

Special thanks to T.J. Raphael, Lauren Passell, Arielle Nissenblatt, and Kate Blumenfeld for being our first listeners and sounding boards, and to Tom Koenig for his support.

Distributed by PRX

Occupy Wall Street is the story of the improbable becoming possible.

In 2008, millions of people were devastated by an economic crash caused by Wall Street greed, but it wasn’t until 2011 that there was a mass response from the Left. A call to protest went out, and thousands of people responded. They raged against a system that was rigged against them and tried to create their own anti-capitalist village in a small Manhattan park. The movement quickly spread across the country, inspiring hundreds of occupations and a new generation of activists.

OCCUPY! AN UNFINISHED UPRISING, told through the voices of activists who camped out in Zuccotti Park for almost two months, gets inside the drama of a movement that grew rapidly, felt both transcendent and chaotic, and then violently flamed out. Although the mainstream media labeled it a failed movement, Occupy changed the national conversation about capitalism, popularized the language of the 99%, and inspired a generation of activists.

As we approach Occupy’s 15th anniversary this September, Occupy offers a reminder that collective action can reshape what seems possible.

Tune in for the six-part series, coming July 9th.

Subscribe to our Patreon for early access to episodes:

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Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:

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Credits:

Host/Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer/Writer: Maria Luisa Tucker

Audio Producer: Zack Travis

Additional production help: Mia Warren, Erika Gjada, Megan Detrie, Lizzie Jacobs, and Ilya Magazanin

Archival research: Marisa Holmes

Archival material courtesy of: Occupy Wall Street Media Working Group.

Original music: Rude Mechanical Orchestra and Puge Ruhe

Special thanks to T.J. Raphael, Lauren Passell, Arielle Nissenblatt, and Kate Blumenfeld for being our first listeners and sounding boards, and to Tom Koenig for his support.

Distributed by PRX

We discuss the intersection of policymaking on economics and democracy, the harm of intense concentration of wealth, and the need for building durable civil society.

Alex's civic action toolkit recommendations are:

1. Join an organization in your community

2. Be in community with other people

Alex Hertel-Fernandez is a labor policy scholar and the Herbert H. Lehman Professor of Government at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. He's also the author of State Capture: How Conservative Activists, Big Businesses, and Wealthy Donors Reshaped the American States — and the Nation.

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Early episodes for Patreon supporters:

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Credits:

Host: Mila Atmos

Guests: Alex Hertel-Fernandez

Executive Producer: Zack Travis

Executive Editor: Mila Atmos