Shocker.

(Agora) — The Occupy Wall Street movement, since its inception in September, has come to a crossroads.

Founded on issues of social and class inequality, the Occupy movement began as a response to corporate power and greed, becoming a significant voice in public media.

Now the movement is searching for direction and practical application.

Andre Damon of the Word Socialist Web Site, in a public forum titled, “Occupy Wall Street and Beyond: Equality And The Fight For Socialism,” spoke to a small crowd at MCCC Nov. 9 about what socialism means and how it applies to the Occupy movement’s goals.

“This is part of a global response by working people to the economic crisis,” Damon said.

He presented figures that showed that poverty rates in the United States have risen from 11.7 percent in 2001 to 15.1 percent in 2010, while median household incomes also fell from $53,252 in 1999 to $49,400 in 2010.

“Still, the percentage of total national income received by the upper .01 percent of the population doubled over the course of 10 years,” Damon said.

Where does the movement go from here? The Socialist Equality Party, which Damon represents, believes that the movement must be won by the working class, and for socialism.

“The way to have a political movement that has real strength is to place it on a social class,” Damon said.