Montco Gets 'Occupied'

It took a few weeks, but the Occupy protests have finally reached Montgomery County, as roughly three dozen residents from throughout the area demonstrated on the steps of the Saturday afternoon.

"We have decided to demonstrate in support of the global initiative to occupy for change, and are doing so in accordance with the Occupy Wall Street initiative," said Frank Smith, a facilitator of the aptly-named Occupy Norristown protest.  "We want to reiterate that this is a non-violent, peaceful assembly to petition the government for a redress of grievances, which is our right per the first amendment."

The demonstration began with protest-inspired music by The Turnips and The Occupiers, singing songs of resistance and civil disobedience. Afterwards, a general assembly was held to introduce residents to the inner workings of the movement and to gauge a collective interest in keeping the Norristown subset active and able.

"Why exactly have we chosen to demonstrate first, rather than occupy?" asked Smith. "As everyone is probably aware, preparing for an occupation takes a lot of careful planning and consideration of the group as a whole. Individual working groups must be established before the occupation can begin, to facilitate a specific need within the occupation."

Smith then read a list of working groups the occupiers are looking to establish, including legal, medical, educational, technology, sanitation and safety groups.  

In order to recruit members for those groups, a larger presence will be needed.

"I think – based on the numbers – we're probably going to go for setting up another demonstration," said Smith.

Fellow facilitator Kelly Straub then took over to instruct the group on assembly etiquette, explaining the agenda and going over intricate hand signals the group uses to communicate. 

Straub stated the general assembly will utilize a "progressive stack" – meaning that women and minorities have the right to speak before white men – as opposed to a "normal stack" where people may speak up regardless of their race, gender or creed.

"Down in Philly and at Occupy Wall Street, they do a progressive stack, which is women and minorities get bumped up before white men," said Straub.  "As you all know, white men get to speak a lot, so everyone else needs a chance too."

With the standard operating procedures established, the group had a discussion about future meetings, where they'll be held, and when they'll occur. The assembly then shifted to allowing the protestors to raise their issues and tell their stories – something which varied wildly from person to person.

"I'm actually homeless," said Julia, who lives in a shelter in North Philadelphia.  "The opportunities for women to get out of the shelter system are very limited right now, because of the fact that there are loads and loads of budget cuts, especially to social services that are essential to low income and homeless people."

Another protestor, Bob Smith, of the Brandywine Peace Community, decided to take aim at Lockheed Martin – something his organization has been doing long before the Occupy movement.

"It is time to recognize that of the one percent of the filthy rich in this country – of that kind of controlling economic presence and influence – that point-one percent is comprised of the war profiteers," said Smith, who claims that the United States posses a "permanent war-based economy."

Another protestor decided to speak about the Fourth Amendment and it's protection – or lack thereof – for residents who rent, and a protestor named "Mike" used his opportunity to speak about the flaws of the American voting system.

"The two dominant parties that are competing for our votes are also part of that establishment system that we're trying to fight," said Mike. "We need to stop supporting those corporate establishment parties, so I wanted to encourage everyone to look for independent candidates to support, and alternative parties to support."

Throughout the entire demonstration, the group received overwhelming support from people driving by, causing a steady stream of honking horns and shouted slogans to serenade the rally.

One passerby wasn't so friendly, as he screamed "Get a job!" and tossed up a one-fingered salute.

Only time will tell if the subset of the Occupy movement will develop in Montgomery County as it has across the country. While their messages and goals may differ from one protestor to another, it's clear that the Occupy Movement has developed protesting into a science.