Occupy Wall Street got its ideas from multiple "sit in" style protests, one of the biggest was the so-called "bonus army." I knew the son of one of the men at the camp in Washington, which is where I first heard about it. Funny that; they never teach stuff like this in school. The police lobbed tear gas at the veterans to try to break up their camp, but they stayed in place until the US Army rolled in tanks to clear them out a week or so later. This M.O. will sound sadly familiar to some of you on Hubski.

Retired Marine Corps Major General Smedley Butler, one of the most popular military figures of the time, visited their camp to back the effort and encourage them. On July 28, U.S. Attorney General William D. Mitchell ordered the veterans removed from all government property. Washington police met with resistance, shots were fired and two veterans were wounded and later died. President Herbert Hoover then ordered the army to clear the veterans' campsite. Army Chief of Staff General Douglas MacArthur commanded the infantry and cavalry supported by six tanks. The Bonus Army marchers with their wives and children were driven out, and their shelters and belongings burned.

Smedley Butler is a name that will keep popping up here and there for anyone studying the Great Depression and the 1920's. He's a hero, a populist, and sadly not well known to the US at large. His bio deserves a read.