CINCINNATI  Are we experiencing collective déjà vu these days, or is history just repeating itself? The run up to the 2007-2009 Great Recession resembles the economic worlds of the Gilded Age and the Roaring Twenties. Unregulated investment banks and hedge funds—the shadow banking industry, similar to the unregulated trusts of the early 1900s—created the circumstances for the Great Recession of 2007-2009. Similar effects of Wall Street and corporate greed played a role in the beginning of the Great Depression, the financial panic of 1907, and the Panic of 1873. Even the Piatt brothers, Abram and Donn, wouldn’t find all that much to be surprised about.

Although by now you are probably familiar with Piatt Park, you might not realize that today’s Occupy Clifton is following in the brothers’ footsteps. You can read the history in Bill Sloat’s blog post at the Daily Bellwether: Allow ‘Occupy Cincinnati’ Protesters to Camp in Piatt Park.

Piatt Park has been more than a place for protesters to occupy overnight. While gathered around the statue of President Garfield at one end of the park, a group of protestors joked about the situation: business as usual with the Democratic Party and other existing organizations wasn’t going to suddenly make a difference for the 99% in our political process. And The Occupation Party, Ohio’s newest political party, came to life. Maybe they heard the echoes of the Piatt brother’s voices. At any rate, we’re sure Abram and Donn Piatt would approve.