Occupy Delaware movement draws demonstrators to downtown Wilmington

The protests that began on Wall Street in New York have come to Delaware.  Occupy Delaware makes its presence felt in downtown Wilmington, not far from the headquarters of many Fortune 500 companies and credit-card banks. 

The movement that began on Wall Street and spread to numerous other cities across the country drew  dozens of demonstrators to Rodney Square Saturday.  A procession around the square was followed by numerous small-group discussions, and a few debates. 

The growing discontent centers around the concentration of wealth in the top one-percent, lavish pay of CEO’s at the expense of jobs and consumers, and the lack of action from politicians in Washington.

The purpose of the “Occupy” movement was clear to some, not so clear to others.

State Senator Karen Peterson (D-Stanton) said she heard about the hastily-organized rally and decided to join some of her constituents.  She identified herself as one of the “99-percent,” referring to the movement’s rallying cry.

“People are feeling frustrated,” Peterson said.  “They’re feeling frustrated by the whole system that they feel is not helping them and doesn’t care about them.”

Alexander Grover of Wilmington said he came out because he was curious about the event.  However, he did not seem impressed about the message.

“The responsibility ultimately lies with us, the people.  All of this came about because we were not participating in democracy,” Grover said.  “We vote, but then we forget to follow up.”

Rick Wyatt, a homeless Wilmington man who encountered the demonstration, said “it’s not a corporate problem.  It’s a societal problem.  We can fix what’s wrong here in this town, locally.”

“We can fix it.  It’s not that hard.”