Occupy Orange County is planning a Rally for Justice event for Saturday in Pearson Park in Anaheim, celebrating the upcoming one-year anniversary since protesters took over Zuccotti Park in New York City.
Although the occupation of Zuccotti Park lasted for a mere eight weeks, and the subsequent occupations in almost 100 other U.S. cities lasting for not that much longer, the national movement itself has been credited as changing the national conversation to economic and social injustice.
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The all-day event in Anaheim will start at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, kicking off with the Wall Street Declaration, followed by the Principles of Solidarity. Occupy OC activists have been collaborating with the peaceful Anaheim anti-police brutality protesters ever since civil unrest unraveled in July, and the event will feature strategic planning for police abuse demonstrations as well as training for Live Stream broadcasts.
In Orange County, the Occupy movement was split between Irvine and Santa Ana. Last year, over 1,000 people showed up for the Occupy OC Irvine march and rally on Oct. 15, while about 200 marched in Santa Ana the following weekend. The occupation in Irvine, complete with tents and daily meetings, was sustained through an agreement with the city, but was forced to leave right before the holiday season. In Santa Ana, four protesters tried to “occupy” the front lawn of the Federal Building the first night, but were cited and arrested for unlawful camping.
Ever since the occupations have been dismantled, Occupiers have engaged in a handful of actions, including protesting a Mitt Romney fundraiser June, amid infighting and struggles to maintain a social movement in working class suburbia. An event is being planned to mark the one-year anniversary of Occupy OC next month.
