PORTLAND, Oregon - Demonstrators supporting the Occupy Wall Street movement against corporate power are marching in downtown Portland in a demonstration that police say could disrupt traffic and businesses.
A crowd numbering in the hundreds began gathering at noon Thursday in Tom McCall Waterfront Park near the Burnside Bridge. By late afternoon, Portland police estimated the crowd at 5,000.
Everyone had their own reason to be there. Some thought the banks have too much power, others that the rich don't pay enough in taxes. A few opposed war. What unified them was frustration with the way things are right now.
"People want their voices to be heard. You get strength in numbers. I'll be a number," said Peter Kass, 26, who works in a residential treatment facility.
Demonstrators say on a website they are nonviolent, and they trained a group of volunteers to help de-escalate pressure-packed moments in hopes of avoiding violence. Police and Mayor Sam Adams say the city government's objective is to make sure the event is safe for participants and the public.
The political and economic system is "sick," said Sadie Scabarozi, 62, of Portland.
"It doesn't serve the needs of all of us," she said. "It's really just serving the needs of a few wealthy people. Unless you're a billionaire, no one really takes notice."
Nate Smith, a high school senior from Portland, expressed similar feelings and said too much power is concentrated in the hands of selfish people.
"The banks aren't bad. It's the people that are running them," said. "There are too many greedy people, too many people who want more and more money in the banking system."
Smith carried a handwritten cardboard sign that said, "Seventeen & no future." He's worried, he said, that he'll never afford to buy a home or be able to find a job when he gets out of college.
