From the Kansas City Star:
KARLA WARD
The Lexington Herald-Leader
They're a long way from Wall Street, but some people in Lexington are continuing to show their solidarity with protesters in New York who have been demonstrating in the Financial District for more than two weeks.
The Occupy Lexington Kentucky movement, modeled after Occupy Wall Street, started on Thursday, and Monday night saw a group still occupying the area outside Chase Tower on Main Street.
"We're here 'til the grievances are addressed," said Mike Davis, who was among about 30 people gathered in downtown Monday night.
Among their main concerns are what they describe as corporate greed and a disproportionate concentration of wealth.
"We are individuals gathered with voices in unison to make a stand for our right to the opportunity to live our best life," Davis said. "We want to shift the power back to the people."
The group temporarily hauled signs and a chalk board to a nearby parking lot for a "general assembly meeting" in which participants sat in a circle, using hand signals to indicate support or opposition to ideas.
The leaderless group has been using such meetings to make decisions about how to get its message out, Davis said. He described the process as "organic" and "spontaneous."
He said that at least 100 people have participated in the gathering each day; at least three people have camped out nightly downtown.
Stephen Shepard said he's been encouraged by the support the community has shown by honking horns, giving the thumbs-up sign and even dropping off pizzas and coffee as they pass by.
He said he's a University of Kentucky graduate loaded down with student-loan debt.
By contrast, Shepard said, when his parents' generation was at his stage of life, "the economy provided enough that they could buy a house."
"I think it's an uphill battle for our generation," he said.
To read more, visit www.kentucky.com.
(http://eye-on-washington.blogspot.com)
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