Occupy Chicago Protesters Set For Downtown March
UPDATED 10/07/11 11:21 a.m.
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Protesters from Occupy Chicago have been in Chicago's Financial District for two weeks, and on Friday, they held a march and rally downtown.
The group is gathered at the Federal Reserve Bank at LaSalle and Quincy streets. At 10:30 a.m., the group began their march to Michigan Avenue and Congress Parkway for a noon rally.
PHOTOS: Occupy Chicago
The group identifies itself as "the 99 percent," standing up to the wealthiest 1 percent of the population whom they accuse of "greed and corruption."
Earlier this week, the protesters ran into trouble with police, and were forced to dismantle their base outside the Federal Reserve Bank after camping 24 hours a day out for two weeks.
Police News Affairs told the Chicago Tribune the protesters have been cooperative and compliant for the most part, but officers took them to task for sleeping and storing supplies on the sidewalk.
On the Web site for Occupy Chicago, a blogger named Taoiseach said the relations between the protesters and police had shown mutual respect, and blamed the crackdown on "orders from above" who are being "faced with a legitimate challenge to their corruption and greed."
Meanwhile, another blogger, John Egbert, said on Monday, an officer asked the protesters to move a van that had been parked illegally. Egbert said the officer claimed there was "probable cause" to search the truck for a bomb," and that the officer threatened him with arrest when he challenged the legality of the search.
Still, Egbert wrote, "this was a special case and most officers are good to us."
Some protesters have also taken issue with individual participants who come to "promote their own agendas," Taoiseach wrote. Someone broke a window during an Occupy Chicago march Wednesday evening, and Taoiseach expressed gratitude that police responded quickly.
The Tribune reports while several people working in the Financial District have had amicable chats with protesters, workers in the Board of Trade challenged the group by posting the message, "We are the 1 percent," across four windows.
On Sunday, Occupy Chicago participants are planning an "education campaign and public outreach" program as downtown becomes crowded with runners and spectators in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon.
