Working in the Wall Street area I had a unique advantage of seeing the Occupy Wall Street protests grow from 50 people in Zuccotti park to hundreds and sometimes thousands on a given day. Occupy protests have spread across the country. It’s evolving into what NY Times columnist Paul Krugman says could be a turning point in the political discourse.

“There’s something happening here. What it is ain’t exactly clear, but we may, at long last, be seeing the rise of a popular movement that, unlike the Tea Party, is angry at the right people.” - Paul Krugman, Confronting the Malefactors

Last week, Cornel West spoke at one of the nightly addresses at Zucotti Park. Yesterday, he and Tavis Smiley discussed the Occupy movement on Countdown with Keith Olberman.

Tavis Smiley was asked, considering how the economy has impacted blacks and Hispanics, what’s his opinion of these protests? His answer? Well, you will hear it in the video. Cornel West’s response was slightly more entertaining.

“They’re wrong if they say that the Wall Street occupation group is 99% white. That’s just a lie. I’ve been there.”

“The Tea Party looks more like the audience of Lawrence Welk and the National Hockey League. The Wall Street occupation, we look more like the audience of Lupe Fiasco, the audience of Carole King, and James Taylor. There’s a cultural sensibility that is different in that regard.”