Unknown; Occupy Wall Street Archives Working Group
Object Type
Signs
Description
Masks are commonly used by protestors to conceal their identities, and the Guy Fawkes mask was not an uncommon face covering at Occupy. The mask, which emulates the historical actor Guy Fawkes, who attempted and failed to assassinate the Protestant King James in 1604, was popularized by the 2005 movie V for Vendetta. The mask then became the main logo for Anonymous, a well-known hacker group that supported Occupy Wall Street and WikiLeaks, among other issues in the early-2010s. This cardboard sign features a Guy Fawkes mask and reads "Can't Stop, Won't Stop." The back of the sign shows that this was a box that was received at the UPS Store on Fulton Street. At the height of Occupy, protestors received as many as 400 boxes a day containing various donated supplies for the movement.
Image Description
A Guy Fawkes mask is stenciled onto a cardboard box with black spray paint. Flecks of red streak across the face of the mask. Surrounding the mask in black marker with neon blue highlights, the sign reads "Can't Stop Won't Stop." The backside of the box has a red spraypant mark and black paint splatters in its center. A line of duct tape runs across the top with an address for the UPS Store at 118A Fulton Street. The box is an Amazon shipping box, and it is emblazoned with their logo.
Citation
Sign with Guy Fawkes mask, circa 2011-2012; TAM.630 Occupy Wall Street Archives Working Group Records; box 12; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University