Youth and students were the majority of the crowd of thousands that marched through downtown Detroit as the part of the Occupation Wall Street movement. Grand Circus Park has been occupied since October 14, 2011. (Kris Hamel), a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
The Occupy Detroit demonstration in downtown
Detroit remained peaceful on day two
Detroit Police Sgt. Eren Stephens said Saturday there have been no arrests since the demonstration began Friday, spurred by the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York.
Many in the group camped in about 50 tents at Grand Circus Park on Friday night and remained Saturday. Nearly 200 people were there Saturday evening. There also was a food tent and a medical tent for demonstrators.
Jill Blair, a 22-year-old Oakland Community College student who lives in Hamtramck, said demonstrators expect to stay at Grand Circus Park until the 60-day permit expires. She also said there would be a general assembly meeting in the park at noon Sunday.
Tom Michalak, 17, of Redford Township slept in a small tent Friday night and plans to return to Grand Circus Park two to three days a week.
“The main thing that everybody is in unison about is Wall Street has too much control of our economic system,” he said about the consensus of Occupy Detroit demonstrators.
Demonstrators on Friday and Saturday uniformly criticized Wall Street and bank bailouts.
In reference to the slogans decrying the 1% of Americans who control most of the nation’s wealth versus 99% of the population, Julie Gervais, 46, of Ferndale carried a sign Saturday that said: “It’s Actually About 90% But the Point is Still Valid.”
She was with her husband, Jim Welke, 46, and both said they thought the Occupy Detroit movement is an important message. Specifically, both said they think one of the main issues is keeping corporate money out of campaign finance.
“Corporations are not people. We need to represent people who work for a living,” Welke said.
Abayomi Azikiwe, 54, of Detroit said, “We want people to understand that the banks are really at the root of the economic crisis.”
Contact Naomi R. Patton: 313-223-4485 or npatton@freepress.com
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