RAGING PEACEFULLY

Students, parents, grandparents, the employed and unemployed joined the Occupy Atlanta protest last Friday in Woodruff Park to make their voices heard. From the wars in the Middle East to rising education costs, these people shared one thing in common: They've had enough. Protesters stood along the perimeter of the park holding up signs and passing out flyers. Some chanted "how do you end the deficit? End the war and tax the rich!" Others engaged in discussion about the problems facing the country and the possible solutions. "We're done being controlled," said Jeanette, a public policy major at Georgia State "We're sick of the one percent of this country making the decisions for the other 99 percent … By sticking together, we can make this count."

The protest comes on the heels of a growing movement sparked by Occupy Wall Street in New York beginning last month. That demonstration has since spread across dozens of cities in the U.S. "I've been waiting for something like this," said music major Maris Gill. "My primary concerns are basic human rights that everybody is entitled to. Withholding that from the public is a f—king travesty."

Consisting of over 400 people, the group held a general assembly at 6 p.m., with each of them eligible to vote. The assembly established the process of voting through nonverbal communication—waving fingers meant consensus; thumbs-down to oppose; crossed-arms to block a consensus; and rolling fingers to tell the speaker to get to the point. They also stressed the importance of remaining non-violent under any circumstance.

The assembly's purpose of the night was to continue its discussion about the organization of the protest. However, the arrival of Atlanta media like 11 Alive and WSB-TV, along with a Fox News helicopter hovering above, fueled the energy of the crowd, causing them to make a push to begin occupation that night.

The event was met with another snag when U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a renowned Atlanta figure and key player in the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, stopped by to say a few words in support of the protest. However, the assembly voted to have Lewis wait until they finished their current agenda item. The vote prompted the senator to leave, as he had a prior engagement. While many felt the decision alienated the black community, protesters remained firm and voted to begin occupation that night, arguing that occupation will create inclusion for all races.

Lewis told reporters he did not have a problem with the assembly's choice, referring to a similar process he was all too familiar with in the Civil Rights Movement. "This is not something strange or out of the ordinary for me," said Lewis. "The process will grow, it will mature. It will work out." At press time, protesters were warned by police they would be arrested Monday if they didn't leave the park.