Updated: Nearly 250 Gather at State House to 'Occupy'

Updated to include photo gallery.

Holding his toddler grandson's hand Saturday, Sammie Bartram of Columbia looked around and declared: "It's a beautiful day to start a revolution."

It was indeed a picture-perfect postcard day Saturday in Columbia -- a Frisbie kind of day, an ice-cream social kind of day, a barbecue in the backyard kind of day. But, for Bartram and an estimated 250 others who came out for the first day of "Occupy Columbia" on the grounds of the State House, the fine weather belied the fact that all is not well for many Americans.

"I'm 68 damn years' old. I've seen a lot," Bartram said. "I love my country -- hell, I served my country. But I don't know my country anymore. It's been bought and sold by the corporations. This little guy here? I fear for him."

Hoisting homemade signs and placards excoriating corporate greed and what they see as American political hubris, the throng -- which included young and old, black and white -- put a Midlands spin on the growing "Occupy Wall Street" movement.

"This is not just a movement to get more jobs," intoned event "facilitator" Travis Bland, to the crowd. "We want system change!"

Far from a one-day event, Bland said the occupation of the State House grounds would go on so far as it can last. And Bland and other protesters were preparing to pitch camp on the grounds on Saturday night after being given the go-ahead by the state.

The burgeoning "Occupy" movement has caught flack, especially on the Right, for a lack of focus of what it really hopes to accomplish. What does it really want? From Columbia to New York City and points in between, those answers can range from protecting the rights of indigenous peoples, to ceasing mountain-top removal for coal production.

Amorphous goals? Yes. Praiseworthy goals? You bet, organizers say.

However, for Bland and many other occupiers, such as Diane Kuhn of West Columbia, the answer is to arrest the overarching power of corporations.

Said Scott West, of Columbia: "This is an economic reform movement. This is people saying they want to reform the way the economy works so that it serves the interests of a majority of people instead of the wealthy."

Original post:  The north side of the State House is coming alive this morning as about 180 people have gathered so far to put a Midlands spin on the growing "Occupy Wall Street" movement.

Hoisting handmade placards decrying "corporate greed," a throng has lined Gervais Street in front of the capitol urging passing drivers to honk as they cruise by.

With the air punctuated by horns and well wishers driving by, the peaceful crowd slowly grows amid the gaze of a handful of state Public Safety officers chatting amiably in the shade.

Says one protester from the Shandon neighborhood in Columbia, who declined to give his name: "It's a beautiful day to start a revolution."

Stay tuned to Patch for a full report.