Meet the Protesters of "Occupy Easton"

A diverse group of about 75 protesters  as part of the growing "Occupy Wall Street" movement.

Common concerns include corporate greed, the influence of money in politics and fears that America's middle class is disappearing in the face of relentlessly high unemployment and rampant home foreclosures.

Some of the “Occupiers” were locals who stopped by for a little while to show support, quietly hanging in the background.

Others traveled from beyond the county to take part in the closest Occupy protest on the same day it happened in more than 900 cities nationally, with 2,000 marching in New York. The movement is going global, with riots reported at a rally in Rome.

Unlike protests in big cities, there were no police or arrests at the Easton rally. Many motorists driving by the crowd honked their horns in support.

WHO THEY ARE

Dennis Wakely
An independent financial adviser from Bloomsbury, N.J., Wakely said he was moved to strike out on his own about 10 years ago. Working in the corporate financial field and seeing the corruption then that was connected to Wall Street, the move was spurred because he “couldn't stand the unethical behavior.”

“I knew this was going to happen. I knew it was a recipe for disaster. Every bubble has to burst,” Wakely said. “The money in politics is the root of the problem.”

He added the fees and rates charged by the largest banks are signs of greed, well beyond what they need to turn a fair profit, and that the big financial institutions “set the tone” for smaller banks.

Though the recession and continued tense economic situation have not hurt him or his business, he said he knows people who have been hurt, and he is also worried for the future.

“I want a better future for my kids. I see what financial enterprise has done, and it's time to take a stand,” Wakely said, adding that most people don't realize how corrupt some investment firms can be, many knowingly advising clients wrongly just to make money.

“I worked in it and saw it,” he said. “People say 'Naw, they wouldn't do that.' But they did and they do.”

John Ward
A local audio recording engineer, Ward said threats to the middle class spurred him to attend Saturday's Occupy Easton rally.

“It'd be foolish not to be here,” Ward said. “To me, it all speaks for itself. If the corporations are making too much money and have too much representation in government, and they're buying the politicians, that's a very negative cycle...The middle class is disappearing.”

Marisa Swingle
An eighth-grader at Easton Area Middle School, Marisa came with her family, but said the points the Occupy Wall Street movement have raised, along with what she sees and hears about the current economic climate and forecasts, concern her.

“It affects my future,” Marisa said. “The people that work the hardest get the least money. It should kind of even out some more, I think.”

“Tiger Lily” Frick
A local Eastonian college student on a gap semester, Frick said corporate greed and political corruption, with the subsequent inequities and hardships they are causing, were her reasons for speaking out on Saturday.

“I think the corruption needs to be stopped. I'm not against any particular party or corporation, it's just that things need to be changed and eyes need to be opened,” she said. “I'd rather change people's hearts than the number of bills in people's wallets. That's the important thing.”

Paul Kleckner
A college student from Nazareth, Kleckner said corporate greed backed by widespread political corruption has resulted in a government that supports an elite few to the great detriment of the many.

“Four-hundred people have more wealth than 150 million [in this country]. That's your 1 percent,” Kleckner said. “The corporations are making record profits and they're supposed to be the job-creators, but they're not creating anything.”

He added that he faults both political parties over the last two decades, though he formerly had hoped an Obama presidency would bring at least some of the change the campaign promised.

“He was the last resort, and he failed us,” Kleckner said, adding, “People are just sick of this [excrement]...and if the politicians don't do something, then the people have to. If nothing changes, we've got to do something.”

Ria Swift
An practitioner of energy medicine from Northampton, Swift said greed and political corruption have gone too far.

“I'm here because I want people to know it's okay to be honest [about what's going on]. In essence, we need to take our power back. We gave it away, and now we need to take it back,” she said. “We need to wake up and stop being stupid.”

Wayne Swingle
Owner of a small remodeling company in Forks Township and father of several children, Swingle said while the flat economy hasn't hurt him, he is concerned about the corporate and political climate and where it's going.

“Finally, the sheeple are starting to wake up. I've been waiting 20 years for this,” he said. “I want to see the money out of politics. I don't know how we're going to do it, but we have to, to save the great country.”

Beth Casino
A dental assistant who was laid off from her job of 23 years at the beginning of the summer, Casino traveled from Pennsburg to express her disgust at the bank bailouts that she said were given at public expense while their executives continue to be granted exorbitant bonuses. She's traveled to New York and Philadelphia too, but said she wanted to support the “littler cities.”

“We're not supposed to be angry? We're not supposed to say anything?” Casino said, adding that she's collecting unemployment for the first time in her life, but it's not enough to pay the bills, especially with a son in high school. Despite her unhappiness at having to do so, she applied for other forms of assistance, only to find her income from unemployment is over the threshold for eligibility.

“I want things to change,” Casino said. “It's not just a bunch of uneducated hippies. It's from all walks of life, and it's cold and windy out here. We're serious.”

Milton Mount
A professional in-home caregiver in Easton, Mount said the direction the country is taking is worrisome.

“This is a great country, okay, and we want to see it stay that way,” he said. “To do nothing and wait until it's all gone, what can you complain about?”

Alan Markovitz
A quality control technician from Bath, Markovitz said the government doesn't represent the people the way it should.

“I'm here because the people have no voice anymore. The people we elect don't write the laws; they don't even read the laws anymore,” Markovitz said. “What we have is no longer a government of elected representatives. The middle class is disappearing, and...the greatest prosperity in this country came when we had a strong middle class.”