Occupy Wall Street----Boston(NECN: Peter Howe, Boston, Mass.) - A group that says it now exceeds 200 people has pitched tents in a park in downtown Boston, vowing to settle in for a long-term protest against banks, capitalism, the wealthiest Americans and the government. “We’re here indefinitely,’’ Nadeem Mazen, a participant in the “Occupy Boston” event, said in an interview Monday. “We’re doing a number of great actions every day. We are having great consensus-based discussions. This is real democracy. We are having real direct democracy.’’ But just what the point of all this is? That’s still not quite so clear. “We’re talking about government reform and financial reform in order to restore the promise of America,’’ Mazen said. “We’re talking about the ties between Wall Street and finance and government.’’ Zoe White, a self-described “transwoman” in the process of moving from man to woman who is currently homeless, said, “A lot of people have been asking questions about the main objective or the main demands. We have lots of ideas … This is a living movement. Anything we do is done by consensus. Nothing can be decided by one person.’’ Several participants described the event as a protest by the other 99 percent of the people against the 1 percent of Americans who they say control 50 percent of the wealth in the country. While the group is violating several city ordinances and has not pulled a permit to camp in the Greenway plot, Boston Police superintendent William Evans said there are no plans to evict or arrest a group he says has been well-behaved and respectful and attended to things like picking up their own trash. “They’ve been very respectful of the public, and right now there are no problems at all,’’ Evans said. “They have a First Amendment right to protest here and show their support against some companies, and we respect that right. As long as things are going well, they’re well behaved, there’s no issues, we’ll respect that right.’’ How well the group is doing convincing average workers it has a clear agenda, much less persuading them to support it – those aren’t so clear. “I think what it comes down to is that it’s a lot of people who are mad at something, but they’re not exactly sure what, and they want to stop it, but they’re not exactly sure how,’’ Greg Kerr of Boston said. Nima Krodell, taking lunch back to her office downtown, said from what she could see, “They’re, like, anti-big-business. It seems a little vague to me. I don’t know.’’ Nathan Katz of Quincy said he was sympathetic to the protesters’ messages. “I think I understand why they’re doing it, and I feel for them, but at the same time, I feel like they should go out and get jobs themselves and participate in the economy a little better,’’ Katz said. “Camping out for days in front of buildings doesn’t do much good for anybody.’’ With videographer Cameron T. Robbins

(NECN: Peter Howe, Boston, Mass.) - A group that says it now exceeds 200 people has pitched tents in a park in downtown Boston, vowing to settle in for a long-term protest against banks, capitalism, the wealthiest Americans and the government.

“We’re here indefinitely,’’ Nadeem Mazen, a participant in the “Occupy Boston” event, said in an interview Monday. “We’re doing a number of great actions every day. We are having great consensus-based discussions. This is real democracy. We are having real direct democracy.’’

But just what the point of all this is? That’s still not quite so clear.

“We’re talking about government reform and financial reform in order to restore the promise of America,’’ Mazen said. “We’re talking about the ties between Wall Street and finance and government.’’

Zoe White, a self-described “transwoman” in the process of moving from man to woman who is currently homeless, said, “A lot of people have been asking questions about the main objective or the main demands. We have lots of ideas … This is a living movement. Anything we do is done by consensus. Nothing can be decided by one person.’’

Several participants described the event as a protest by the other 99 percent of the people against the 1 percent of Americans who they say control 50 percent of the wealth in the country.

While the group is violating several city ordinances and has not pulled a permit to camp in the Greenway plot, Boston Police superintendent William Evans said there are no plans to evict or arrest a group he says has been well-behaved and respectful and attended to things like picking up their own trash.

“They’ve been very respectful of the public, and right now there are no problems at all,’’ Evans said. “They have a First Amendment right to protest here and show their support against some companies, and we respect that right. As long as things are going well, they’re well behaved, there’s no issues, we’ll respect that right.’’

How well the group is doing convincing average workers it has a clear agenda, much less persuading them to support it – those aren’t so clear.

“I think what it comes down to is that it’s a lot of people who are mad at something, but they’re not exactly sure what, and they want to stop it, but they’re not exactly sure how,’’ Greg Kerr of Boston said.

Nima Krodell, taking lunch back to her office downtown, said from what she could see, “They’re, like, anti-big-business. It seems a little vague to me. I don’t know.’’
Nathan Katz of Quincy said he was sympathetic to the protesters’ messages. “I think I understand why they’re doing it, and I feel for them, but at the same time, I feel like they should go out and get jobs themselves and participate in the economy a little better,’’ Katz said. “Camping out for days in front of buildings doesn’t do much good for anybody.’’

With videographer Cameron T. Robbins