A reminder.
Preserving artifacts from significant cultural events is something The Smithsonian does.
And wants to do, as announced earlier this month, with the Occupy Movement.
Each day, Occupy Wall Street grows larger and the question persists: will this movement change history? The Smithsonian thinks it might.
So it's actually important that certain aspects of the Occupy Wall Street camp are preserved in their entirety. Or in as original a state as is possible.
Most recently, the Museum sent representatives to collect materials related to what has become known as the Occupy Wall Street protests and the various offshoots. This is part of the museum’s long tradition of documenting how Americans participate in the life of the nation. The Museum collects from contemporary events because many of these materials are ephemeral and if not collected immediately, are lost to the historical record.
Mike Bloomberg and Ray Kelly have a responsibility to the larger society, and to history, to preserve elements of the dismantled camp.
Whatever the actual reasons for the destruction, the basic fact that OWS has earned validity can't be overlooked.