Get to Know David

David prefers to fly under the radar and rarely does interviews or speaks publicly anymore. Here is the last interview he did on September 17th, 2012...

"The most famous phrases of 2011 were the '99%' and the '1%.' Media analysts report that after the creation of those phrases and their wide adoption by Occupy Wall Street, the media and many politicians, discussions of income inequality in America rose dramatically. David DeGraw's coinage of these terms rendered an invaluable service to America, even the world, by making visible the sharp divide in the fortunes of citizens in much of the world. He ranks in the top ten on the list of people the plutocrats hate. His insights into how the 99% can take back America and other nations from the financial elites, who all too often became wealthy through the massive fraud that drove the Great Recession, are vital." -- William K. Black, white-collar criminologist, former financial regulator and author of "The Best Way to Rob a Bank is to Own One"

"Dave DeGraw is a rare thing, an opponent of this encompassing apathy that has lacquered us to our seats, eyes agog, defocused in the glare of the box. He is a leader without fanfare or hubris. He is reengaging people with that most basic of human rights - justice." -- Russell Brand, Brand X

"These days people throw around the name of Tom Paine a bit too liberally (as it were), but in David DeGraw's case, a reference to the nation's most impactful pamphleteer has merit. When he first released The Economic Elite vs the People of the United States of America two years ago, I wrote: 'DeGraw's report piles on (amply footnoted) data with a relentless fury, then connects the dots, building a narrative that calls on us to give up our political labels, parties, and prejudices and get deadly serious about saving ourselves. DeGraw’s challenge: Will we the people come together to take on our common enemies – the economic elites who have stolen our money, our media, and our democracy — before they steal our future?'

Thankfully the people have taken up that challenge -- in Wisconsin, on Wall Street, across the nation, and beyond. Already they have changed the conversation, and moving forward, they will change much more. David DeGraw has played an inspiring role in the leaderless and horizontal Occupy/99% movement, and the Economic Elite Vs. The People is one of its founding documents." -- Terrence McNally, host Free Forum, KPFK & WBAI

"David DeGraw's urgent and groundbreaking exposes have always been required reading. He's a muckraker whose hard-hitting journalism does more than simply inform the public about what's what: it educates the masses and empowers readers by providing them with all the tools they need to take immediate action. Two years ago, while the mainstream media was reprinting government press releases, DeGraw wrote these words: "It’s time for 99% of Americans to mobilize and aggressively move on common sense political reforms." That rallying cry kickstarted a nationwide movement. No single person has done more over the past 24 months to expose the thievery, the lies and corruption that brought this country to its knees than David DeGraw. Keep sounding the alarm bells, David. We'll be listening." -- Jason Leopold, founder of The Public Record and lead investigative reporter for Truthout

"I understand that OWS is a leaderless democratic movement, but every idea has a seed. I wanted to meet the person that I heard planted that seed and that's how I met David DeGraw. In response to the occupiers dream and David's vision, I have proposed a Constitutional Amendment that would demand that elections for President and members of the United States House of Representatives and Senate be publicly financed. Thank you to David for planting the seed of a revolution that I had a birds eye view of from the beginning." -- Russell Simmons, Occupy the Dream

"David DeGraw has as much energy as five normal people, is smart enough to see the 'big picture' and get beyond false labels such as 'left' and 'right', and is persistent even in the face of setbacks and roadblocks. David can speak with, organize and inspire all types of people. I have seen him organize discussions between high-level economists, political analysts, media personalities, artists and creative types. He rallies all and sundry, somehow building a 'campfire' of purpose that everyone wants to rally around. And David has done this all while juggling his responsibilities as a husband and father." -- George Washington, Washington's Blog

"David DeGraw is living proof that speech is defined by ACTION, not money. His actions have inspired me and millions of others to raise the bar everyday in this quest to restore justice in America and around the world. David is leading the harrowing transition from the massive protests he helped spark in 2011 into a clear, organized mission to repair and restore our nation's most noble aspirations. He is a leader, a teacher and an inspiration." -- Dylan Ratigan, author of "Greedy Bastards," founder of the Get Money Out Campaign

"When DeGraw contacted me two years ago urging that we start the 99% movement, I immediately agreed. It was finally time to be clear -- which side are you on? The side of the plutocratic oligarchs whose theft of the economy, aided and abetted by bought off politicians, was leaving the people desperately poorer; or the side of the people who would definitely govern this country better than the economic and political 'elites.' Now, two years later, those seeds have grown into the seedlings of the Occupy Movement and 2012 will be a time to see these sprout's flower as the rebellion demanding transformational change grows. And, the question is getting louder as the wealth divide gets wider: WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON?" -- Kevin Zeese organizer of Occupy Washington, DC at Freedom Plaza and co-director of It's Our Economy

"David DeGraw’s book is a summary of why the Occupy Wall Street movement goes beyond merely marginal change. He summarizes why small reforms can’t fix an economy that has become basically unfair. Financial fraud has been decriminalized, and banking at the highest levels has turned into a set of gangs. The 1% want people to believe all income is earned and how they are job creators and earn what they get. That is not the message of this book. David has helped involve me in the movement to explain this reality. It is not what the 1% want to hear – and he says it loud and clear." -- Michael Hudson, president of The Institute for the Study of Long-Term Economic Trends, financial analyst and author of "Super-Imperialism: The Economic Strategy of American Empire"

"The 99% Movement with the gift of visionary leadership from David DeGraw and others emerged in the United States during the last two years effectively and successfully to focus national and global attention on the fundamental problems of income inequality, economic injustice and the systemic corruption of democracy by the selfish greed and avarice of the 1%. DeGraw's analytical writings and perspectives are therefore very important at this moment in history as the movement grows and expands exponentially." -- Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., Occupy the Dream

"David DeGraw is a firm believer in leaderless grassroots revolutions, but someone has to have the vision and the dedication to get the blades of grass waving in the same direction, and David has filled that role with the Occupy Wall Street movement. The movement has kept the focus on Wall Street, giving us an organized, focused outlet for our efforts and inspiring us with the conviction that in unity, we can make a difference." -- Ellen Brown J.D., author of "Web of Debt" and president of the Public Banking Institute

"What's fascinating is that David DeGraw's work dissecting economic inequality in America may have had more impact on the issues that our country is now debating than any big shot member of the punditocracy. He took on these issues as a citizen, shocked by the gap he found between the wealthiest Americans and the rest of us. More importantly, he is the one that named it as a conflict between the 99% and the 1%. That simple yet revealing formulation resonated widely. It helped define the Occupy movement. His pamphleteering in the spirit of Tom Paine is designed not just to inform us, but to move us into action. Raising consciousness is important to him, but making change is his real goal." -- Danny Schechter, News Dissector, director of "In Debt We Trust" and "Plunder: The Crime Of Our Time"

"David DeGraw has helped create a movement that is unstoppable." -- Deepak Chopra, founder of The Chopra Foundation

David's reporting has been featured on the following media outlets:

Check out a video archive featuring some of David’s interviews here.

David's Most Recent Books...

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'Another World Is Happening' - Occupy Wall Street One Year Anniversary Interview

Cenk Uygur, host of The Young Turks, interviews David DeGraw about the birth and evolution of Occupy Wall Street on its one year anniversary: "This is about empowering a new generation to be leaders, to be engaged.... We have millions of people engaged in creating change that were not engaged and creating change a year ago.... Occupy globally is the big bang of humanity's next phase of evolution. It created this wild new ecosystem of mass transformation. Millions of people turned on, let out of the propaganda cage. The first step is that you have to open the prison door so people can come flying out and realize that we can change things. You say another world is possible. Now, another world is happening."

Check out a video archive featuring more of David's interviews here.


Video Interview Archive

Check out a video archive featuring some of David's interviews here.