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SALT LAKE CITY — In a show of solidarity with people in the Occupy Wall Street protests, the Occupy Salt Lake encampment was formed on Oct. 6 of last year.
During that period, "occupiers" have protested what they believe are grossly high wages for Wall Street CEOs, corporate greed and tax loopholes which keep corporations from paying what they believe is their fair share.
Protesters know they have millions of people across the country who support them. They've commented to KSL that the protests show how corporate greed is holding back the middle class.
They also know they have millions of people across the country who think they're wrong. One man who commented to KSL wrote, "I think, as with many things, success or failure is in the eyes of the beholder. I think what it has done is polarize us even further." Other comments include, "I don't see it having much of an impact. Corporate greed will never disappear."
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Whether or not people agree with the "occupiers" about their stance on economic inequality in America, Occupy Park City Organizer Tyler Galovich says he's glad they brought attention to the topic.
"I think we've brought a lot of light and attention to what's really going on with the money and where it's disappearing to," he said.
Galovich says the Occupy movement is never going away. But, he says if there is one failure of the movement it's that the intensity of it seemed to die down. Seth Neily with Occupy Salt Lake says the numbers of protesters at Gallivan Plaza went down over the winter months, but now that spring is here, he expects the numbers to shoot back up.
"I do see this getting a lot bigger and a lot better, and I see [us getting] more support from the city," he said.
Neily says there are a lot of critics who approach the camp in Gallivan Plaza. But he welcomes the criticism, because at least that gets the conversation going.
"I embrace anybody's disagreements about the movement, because as we have that dialogue, as we talk to each other, we can actually come to an agreement on some common ground," he said.
