DOWNTOWN — Filmmaker Michael Moore greeted protesters in lower Manhattan Monday during the 10th day of demonstrations against Wall Street.
The outspoken director and activist joined with hundreds of protesters in Zuccotti Park during what has been a tense few days of demonstrations by those rallying against corporate greed.
“Change has to start somewhere. Why not here?" Moore told a crowd of reporters and protesters on his way out of the park at about 7:30 p.m. on Monday.
"A lot of people, they end up...doing well and they completely forget about who they are and where they come from,” added the filmmaker, noting that “capitalism destroyed” his hometown of Flint, Mich., which he documented in his 1989 debut “Roger & Me.”
Participants in the demonstration said Moore’s appearance gave a boost to protesters, whose clashes with police over the weekend resulted in about 80 arrests.
"It definitely has a positive effect on morale," said Patrick M. Arthur, 30, who said it was his sixth night coming down to take part in the demonstration.
Others said Moore’s appearance was a sign that they were beginning to have their voices heard.
"The fact that Michael Moore came down to speak for us is huge... He's a leader. He's a patriot," said Rohan Beckford, 26, who has participated in the protest every day since Saturday. "It's amazing to know that we're getting somewhere.”
Beckford, of Jamaica, Queens, said he joined the demonstration to protest the fact that his mother's house was being foreclosed upon and that his brother, a military veteran, wasn't receiving adequate assistance from the government.
Moore told the crowd that he would return to the park on Tuesday.
