DEMONSTRATIONS GROWING

Submitted by ub on

Across the country, we the people appear to be on the march, protesting what is perceived as the excesses of Wall Street. The movement was sparked by a small group of protesters camping out in a New York City park and now has affected the passions of thousands.

From far away it looks like a rock festival the morning after, with scattered sleeping bags. But the demonstrators taking part in the three-week-old protest against Wall Street have created a functioning city within the city, a small, working democracy.

There are groups in charge of food, sanitation, security, health care, legal help and Internet access. There's even a library. They have a generator supplying power for laptops Ipads and cellphones.

An assembly for anyone who wants to attend meets twice daily. Because it's hard to be heard above the din of lower Manhattan and because NYC officials are not allowing bullhorns or microphones, the protesters have devised a system of sign language. If you need to announce something - someone's wallet has been found, there's a march at noon - you say it and the people immediately around you repeat it and pass the word along.

Participants in the Occupy Wall Street protests - organized to decry corporate greed and the gap between the rich and poor - say they have no leaders but are making decisions by committees.