A group of citizens gathered in the Warren Lineberry Park Saturday to show
their support for Occupy Wall Street (OWS), the ongoing protest of corporate
greed and influence that began in New York City four weeks ago. Rallies in
solidarity of the OWS protesters also took place in Blacksburg and Roanoke and
in localities around the country and globe.

 
Attendee Micheal Kovick addressed the group, saying, “There is no leader
here. I’m here to support the Occupy Wall Street protestors. I don’t want to
participate in a gripe session. I don’t know what the answer is. There are a lot
of things wrong.”

 
Kovick suggested that OWS supporters engage individuals in conversation.
“What can we do locally? How can we make a presence and invite more people into
the process?” he asked.
A young man commented that many young people can’t get jobs or afford
college. A woman who attended the Washington DC OWS said communication, planned actions and visibility were all important components of being heard.

 
“The Supreme Court ruling that corporations can make unlimited donations to
political campaigns is a big problem. That’s where we lose our voice,” said one
attendee. Another added, “We need publicly funded elections so that lobbyists
can’t buy politicians.” Other suggestions to address the concerns of OWS
included returning the top 1% tax bracket to 1950-1980 levels and holding Wall
Street bankers who committed fraud accountable.

 
Toni Lamberti, who spent a recent day at the New York OWS, said the issue was
“the rich against the poor.” Holding a brightly painted red sign that read ‘We
Are the 99%,’ she commented that she was impressed with how the New York
demonstrators conducted themselves. “They had lunch tables and even libraries
set up.”

 
Lamberti said protestors are building on the momentum of what’s been
happening around the world. She suggested citizens google “Wall Street
Occupation” or follow democracynow.org to get a different take on OWS from what
the mainstream media is reporting.  ~ Colleen Redman blogs daily at looseleafnotes.com

~The following also appeared in The Floyd Press.