From Irmo-Seven Oaks Patch
As the Occupy Wall Street movement continues to gain momentum in New York City, activists nationwide are working to organize similar demonstrations across the country, even in South Carolina.
For almost three weeks now, protesters have gathered at Zucotti Park in Manhattan's financial district and the movement isn't showing any signs of slowing.
Protesters began gathering on Sept. 17 and the group has grown day by day, despite theapproximately 700 arrests made by police on the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday.
Protesters are mainly gathered to demonstrate outrage over the growing disparity in wealth from the nation's richest one percent and everyone else. Others are taking the opportunity to speak out on an array of issues including the environment, military occupation, student loans, the mortgage crisis, and rising unemployment.
The growth of the movement has been fueled using social media websites like Twitter and Facebook with the main demonstration in New York identifying itself on Twitter as #OccupyWallStreet. In effort to mobilize the movement across the country and globally, websites like OccupyTogether.org have sprung up to provide information on local gatherings.
So far, groups are organizing events in Florence, Columbia and Charleston. The Occupy Columbia Facebook page has more than 900 followers as the group prepares for a planning meeting at Finaly Park at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 9.
The Occupy Charleston group is holding two separate planning meetings at 5:30 tonight at Kudu and Starbucks in Charleston according to their Facebook page.
In Florence, protesters are planning a demonstration in front of Sen. Lindsey Graham's office on Oct. 15 as advertised on their Facebook page and on Twitter at #OccupyFlorence.
Some have labeled the demonstration as a true populist movement and say it shows no signs of slowing down, while others are saying it lacks structure and can't last.
"It seems to be growing, it seems to be organic in that sense but we don't know where it's going and we don't know if it will last," said Fox news analyst Juan Williams on Fox News' Special Report with Bret Baier. "There does not seem to be any coherence to the message."
As new demonstrations crop up in cities across the U.S., it seems the jury is still out on how long the demonstrations will continue. But one message seems clear — the demonstrators want to be heard.
At this point there are no demonstrations planned in Greenville, although there appears to be interest on the other S.C. forums.
The ongoing demonstration in Columbia is currently scheduled to begin on Friday, Oct. 21, with the location to be determined during the meeting this weekend.
Do you think the "Occupy Wall Street" movement will gain momentum in South Carolina? Tell us in the comments.
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