With many journalists and news organizations filing almost daily stories on Occupy Wall Street demonstrations or related labor actions, we wanted to look back at words from Dr. Corner West at 92nd Street Y in 2008.

“The situation of poor people and working people,” Dr. West told Tavis Smiley, “has been a state of emergency for 40 years. It’s just that it’s been hidden and concealed. Now that the catastrophe has hit Wall Street, we got a real crisis. No, the crisis was at work with our children already in these disgraceful school systems. In the dilapidated housing of poor people. Workers being pushed against the wall by greedy bosses.”

View the full clip above for further engaging and blunt commentary about President Obama and concepts of fairness and justice.

For current, related news, check out The New York Times today for their story on the recent West Coast port shutdowns: With Port Actions, Occupy Oakland Tests Labor Leaders.

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