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Msnbc.com visited the Occupy LA protest in downtown Los Angeles this week. Here are some of the people we met.
Jim Seida / msnbc.com
Whitney Cranley, 21, of Lake Forest, Calif., eats a pomegranate outside City Hall in downtown Los Angeles during the Occupy LA protest.
Whitney Cranley, 21, of Lake Forest, California
When did you come out to Occupy LA and why?
We came as observers. We drove up from Orange County on Friday night on a whim to see what was going on, and we stayed.
I’m not a person who knows a lot about politics. But I think there’s definitely a lot of corruption… I’m also against all these wars. I’m for moving toward taking care of the people we have—our community first—but the government is taking all our tax money and putting it into killing people. We’re just digging ourselves into a hole. It’s just really sad.
Was there anything that made you feel discouraged or put off by Occupy LA?
At the General Assembly meeting last night, a kid went up and voiced his opinion on something related to the unions… He made a good point, but other people ate him alive. I felt it might make others might consent (to create consensus) because they were intimidated, and I said so. There was a lot of bickering.
Will you be involved in the future?
I’m going back to school today (at Saddleback Community College in Forest Lake, Calif.)
But I definitely want to be more involved… I want to have a voice. I’m definitely not going to go back home and forget about everything.
What will come of the movement?
There is a lot of muscle building up. A lot of people who feel they’ve been wronged and young people with ideas without a lot of direction yet.
Jim Seida / msnbc.com
Chad Knutsen, 22, from Los Angeles stands in front of City Hall in downtown Los Angeles.
Chad Knutsen, 22, from Los Angeles.
Why are you here?
"If I had to put it into one word, it would be sovereignty, or opportunity. Right now we have an incredible opportunity to take back our sovereignty as a sovereign people in a democratic republic. We have an opportunity right now to do some very big things."
How long have you been here?
"Since day one, since the first of October. I've had to leave for work a couple times. It's almost weird, when you leave you miss it…the energy."
If you have one specific grievance, what is it?
"It's that all the power in this country has been taken from the people and given to the powers that be. What our country needs right now is a complete fresh start and a constitution of redemption. We put together this document, the Declaration of Freedom and Peace, it's a statement of purpose for the American people. If we can get 34 governors to take the document and call for a constitutional convention and call for an immediate return to the American Constitution, and if we get 38 states to ratify it, then it passes and we can pass any legislation that we need to pass through that."
What would you say to critics of this movement?
"The only way that you can criticize this movement is if you don't understand what's happening in this country. John Lennon said it's easy with your eyes closed. It's just like playing football - football's easy to play from the sidelines, but when people get down here and learn what it's all about and learn that we have a chance to do something about this pickle we put ourselves in, or allowed ourselves to be put in, then changes can be made."
What would be mission accomplished?
"Mission accomplished would be calling a constitutional convention and there being an open forum where the people can be represented by their representatives instead of the representatives representing the representatives, and a return to our sovereign status as American citizens."
Jim Seida / msnbc.com
Sharief Zakher, 26, of Los Angeles, "flies" a june bug that he had tied to the end of a string during the Occupy LA protest at City Hall in Los Angeles.
Sharief Zakher, 26, of Los Angeles
Sherief Zakhar, who works at a concert production company, was among the first residents of Occupy LA at City Hall. Most days, he gets a ride home from his boss. Recently, his boss has been asking, “Home or tent?” And each night for the last week, Zakhar has said, “Tent.”
What is the main issue that brought you to Occupy LA?
"What brought me here is that you can trade stock in prisons. Prisons are privately owned, so people profit from prison overcrowding."
Zakhar recently spent a week in prison for the first time in his life. He was released, he says, after corrections officials located paperwork proving that he had completed community service sentence for an infraction eight years earlier. Seeing the inside of the prison system opened his eyes, he says.
"I was in a dormitory with 120 inmates and we were treated like s---. It’s the most humiliating thing you will ever go through in life."
What needs to happen?
He says he’s not moving from his post at City Hall. “I plan to stay until the end… whenever our objectives are met.”
What Zakhar wants to see is a major announcement signaling a shift in values. "I want to see that the government is actually working for the people—and putting people over profits."
Jim Seida / msnbc.com
Michelle Watson, 40, of Los Angeles, runs the food tent at the Occupy LA protest at City Hall in Los Angeles.
Michelle Watson, 40, of Los Angeles
Watson, who came to Occupy LA eight days ago, was among the founders of the tent city at Los Angeles City Hall. She was named head of the food tent -- handling food donations and ensuring safety and sanitation around food distribution, and doing so fastidiously because if the food tent doesn’t pass health inspections, the colony will be shut down, she says.
Watson’s saga is complicated. She feels that she is being treated unfairly by the corrections system and the health system. As a result, she says, she is now homeless and in danger of losing timely access to treatment for ovarian cancer.
Why did you come out to Occupy LA?
"I’m tired of 99 percent of us suffering. My family has served in the Marines, but my dad died penniless... I worked for the state of California (but left when cancer treatments and a serious digestive disorder made it difficult to continue.) Now I’m disabled and struggling to get treatment." (She gets about $240 from the state each month, she says.)
"The founding fathers said everyone is created equal. What happened? There’s not even a middle class anymore."
What needs to happen?
"People need to stop making money off the sick and needy. Prisons shouldn’t make money off inmates…I’ll stay here until it ends, until it changes."
Meet the occupiers in New York City's Zucotti Park
From Wall Street to Nashville, 'occupiers' share protest images
Leave a Comment:
"Flies a June Bug" Excellent skill set. Why wouldn't any sane employer give him a job?
Hmm... Maybe you should read the article. Says he has a job and is in fact there with his boss.
Make fun of the protesters all you want. At least we will never have to look back and say that we sat on our asses at home and watched liberty die.
We want a better nation for everyone living in our United States. We stand together, as the People, for the People.
I love when these Blah Blah Blah Blahs stick their Foot in IT.Guess Not scared scored on that one!Priceless!
The problem is most of the people that are there really have no clue what they are there for. I am fully 100% for getting power back to the people, but it is also costing the tax payer a lot of money for these people to be there. 1.5 million in overtime a lone for the police. I will admit I am proud of them for staying civil and not causing riots!
I'm sure many have no clue exactly why they are at this protest, however they are aware something is happening that is very wrong. It is also very apparent our leaders either have no clue or do not care about their country.
This whole thing did not just start last week. Many citizens have brought up these concerns with no avail. So here we go. Back in time when people got off their butts to voice their discontent. There are so many things wrong here it is hard to single it out.
I love this country but sometimes it needs to change the things that have gone the wrong way. The money changers have taken over. I believe in smaller government focus on the individual and a stronger government on corporations with no face. So protesters try not to make a mess or break anything. OKAY?
Why don't you interview some of the anarchists, bottle throwers, people who @!$%# on police cars, et.. You're just trying to make these people look good. Very one-sided.
I think the small percentage of folks that show up at Occupy protests to make trouble get the majority of media attention. In a for-profit, mega-corporation "news" environment, shock sells. For the masses that focus on the scandals of celebrities, show up at car races for the crashes, watch hockey for the fights, and make popcorn for a good "shock-and-awe" graphic anytime we drop MOABs on a distant country, it is getting increasingly hard to "shock" someone into watching your channel, or reading your article.
Hundreds of thousands of ordinary people around the US in cities across the country (and world) that show up to participate in non-violent, participatory democratic expression isn't a ratings winner. Especially when the folks make sense and are pointing out that the media and mega-corporations you work for are part and parcel to the problems they are showcasing for the world.
When I have been to Occupy encampments and actions, I occasionally see media. They stand around not knowing where to start because everything looks so plain and mellow, measured and reasonable. But if someone throws a rock, or does something "sensational" they race over at break neck speed. They are there for minutes, get their shot, and file their reports. That ends up being the story. Never-mind that intelligent and educated people have been there for days pleading to speak to anyone who will listen. That isn't what they are there to capture. This isn't unique to Occupy, it's just how for-profit news works, everywhere.
I seriously doubt that you, Julian Jaramillo, has spent a few days with these folks, or witnessed any actions. So, where did you hear about anarchists, bottle throwers, and people who @!$%# on police cars? Am I correct to assume that you saw or heard about these acts on the news? Given that these things are the most sensational things that occur at these actions, and represent a tiny percentage of what goes on at these actions, do you think it reasonable to say that coverage of Occupy is one-sided in favor of Occupy?
You see the sensational because that is what is being marketed to you to keep you watching the channel. You do not see the "boring stuff" that is the hallmark of Occupy on the ground. I submit this comment respectfully, and do hope you will consider my comment. Kudos to MSNBC for doing a "boring" story on the message these individuals are bringing to the conversation. If they look good, it is because there is merit to what they have to say.