What started as a grassroots initiative in New York City to stop big corporations from influencing government is making its way to Indiana.
Social activists will participate in Occupy Indianapolis from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, and from noon to 2 p.m. on Sunday at Veterans Memorial Plaza in downtown Indianapolis.
The groups of demonstrators who call themselves the "99 percent of America battling the wealthiest 1 percent" has expanded over time to cities throughout the country.
Kai Bennett, media representative for Occupy Indianapolis and a double major in philosophy and psychology, said he is in the process of trying to organize a march in Muncie from Ball State to downtown. Bennett is the supervisor for an organization on campus called Students for Creative Social Activism, whose goal is to give a voice to some of the smaller parties, left and right.
At least 15 to 20 Ball State students will demonstrate in peace and solidarity in Saturday's event, Bennett said, but he expects more students to show up.
Critics have posted comments on social networking sites and blogs to argue that mainstream media haven't covered the movement effectively, citing corporate-owned media control.
"The common people out there are protesting the banks, to stop doing the same s--t they've caused," said junior psychology major Katlin Sampson.
Critics and news media have noticed a lack of focus or a central theme in the "Occupy" movement.
"I think it's pretty cool what [demonstrators] are doing," said junior photojournalism major Emilie Carpenter. "I just know they're protesting the stuff that goes on in Wall Street and that there's no real central theme or demands yet."
Occupy Indianapolis' Facebook page says its focus is to reduce corporate influence in government.
"It doesn't matter your race, creed, religion, sexual identity, political stripe... none of those matter," the group's Facebook page states. "What matters is that WE as human beings recognize the COMMON cause. Restore HUMANITY to our once-proud nation. We've become so divided by the prodding and division of our corporate masters and the politics/media machine that they think we won't find it in ourselves to look past all of the imposed separations and see each other as humans. As citizens, WE have to unite."
Carpenter said her involvement in such an initiative, if it came to Muncie, would depend on the group's focus.
"The scary thing is there's no central idea," she said. "I would hate to get behind something and then have it evolve into something that isn't something I'd support."
Angie Vanderluit, senior anthropology major and a member of Feminists for Action, said she hasn't paid much attention to Occupy Wall Street and would like government to focus more on feminism.
"[Occupy Wall Street is] just a protest against Wall Street, capitalism, I don't know," Vanderluit said, laughing about her comment while motioning to the beverage she purchased at Starbucks. "I don't really like capitalism, the system, so I think [the movement] makes sense."
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