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:

https://patreon.com/futurehindsight 

Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram: 

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Follow Mila on X: 

https://x.com/milaatmos 

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