Tunisians got the ball rolling with a mostly peaceful protest and now a democratic election. Hopefully their new government will be able to respond to the demands of their people more effectively. I also hope that protests in the United States and even in more difficult situations, such as is the sad case in Syria, remain peaceful. The violence that erupted in Oakland is not the way to go. If the protests degenerate into fist fights with the police the credibility that the protests carry a message for how we can rebuild a more inclusive and strong economy will be lost. By contrast, the persistence and coordination of many protesters is gaining more and more positive attention. There is an online public forum for Occupy Wall Street where there is an explanation of democratic structure protesters are using to reach decisions is explained and there are links to open discussions on key issues such as the cash-for-immunity deal in negotiation between the government and banks related to the investigation of fraudulent "robo-signing" of foreclosures. The protesters are not an angry mob seeking to tear everything down, they are a legitimately angry group of intelligent people looking for answers to transform our economic system and society to one that is less unequal and unfair.
I have a passion for using numbers to contextualize problems. Here is a chart that clear shows the growing inequality in our society (click on it to see a larger image) as well as a link to an excellent slideshow elucidating the many problems we are facing.
What do the protesters want? Essentially, strengthened rule of law so that bankers and others can't get away with fraud and other crimes, increased taxes on the rich, and more jobs for the unemployed.
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