The devastatingly powerful photos below are housed on a testimonial site – We Are the 99 Percent – managed by activists at occupywallst.org. It's a site to which I (@David_EHG) will soon be adding my own photo testimony.
Nothing more needs to be said. They speak for themselves...
![a1](http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6173/6199100537_f49373fdd1_z.jpg)
I am aged, old and frail. I worked and paid taxes all my adult life. Now, I have to choose between medicine and food. It feels like a very slow death. I am the 99%.
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![a2](http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6146/6199616226_8f49faa37e_z.jpg)
I am scared. I am 37 with no job prospects and only Navy disability to survive on with two children. I want to work but no one will hire me. I want to learn but no one will teach me. I spend my days online trying to find some way to earn more than $845 a month, to teach myself new skills, to find a new way of life.
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![a3](http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6125/6199100767_6098acf023_z.jpg)
I am a 19-year-old college sophomore. I go to the flagship university in my state, and I can barely afford it. (Like thousands of others in my state, I was promised full tuition if I kept my grades up. I held up my end of the bargain, but apparently that means nothing.) I’m lucky enough to have a job on campus to cover some of my fees.
Even though I work 20 hours/wk, I will still be $8000 in debt by the end of the school year. I want to go to law school. If I get into my first choice, I will be $136,000 in debt by my 25th birthday. (I just want to fight for human rights!) I no longer believe in the “American Dream.” I am the 99%.
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![a4](http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6171/6199100873_6ed7a34202_z.jpg)
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![a6](http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6171/6199101043_fdbd353d47_z.jpg)
My mother is drowning in debt so I can earn a degree that offers no financial security. We are the 99%.
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![a5](http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6007/6199101005_fd9abbd2d0_z.jpg)
I am a realtor. I do not get unemployment. Last year B of A told my clients they did not quoalify for a loan mod, so they listed with me to sell their homes. Two months later, in Nov of 2010, B of A called all of my clients without telling me promising them they could keep their homes if they paid $2500. B of A LIED and took the houses back anyway, thereby costing me $30,000 in commissions which in turn caused me to default on all of my debt- including my home. I was forced to move in with my parents at the age of 32. I am the 99%.
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![a7](http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6007/6199616688_55c5c51857_z.jpg)
I bought my house on a “fixed rate” mortgage. My payments go up every 6 months because of adjustments in interest and escrow payments. I’m afraid that I won’t be able to afford my house soon. I am the 99%
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![a8](http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6159/6199616842_56fc7ab028_z.jpg)
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Follow me on Twitter @David_EHG
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If you too are the 99 percent, the #occupywallstreet movement is expanding by the day into cities and states across the country.
To learn if there's an occupation movement in your city or state, see this real-time guide of Twitter accounts and livestreams for movements.
Here's a visual taste:
![@OccupyInfo 2011-09-30 22-36-09](http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6171/6199662250_c428ffdaea_z.jpg)
We are the 99%.