As the “Occupy Wall Street” phenomenon hit Washington, D.C. on Thursday, about 500 people flooded Freedom Plaza for a blend of demonstrations noting the immediate pinch of America’s slumping economy and the tenth anniversary of post-9/11 U.S. military operations in the middle east.
Protestors demanded an array of government responses, everything from an overhauled tax system to a complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. Demonstrators from California, Virginia, and states in between waved signs, honored children lost in war, demanded greater accountability from corporate America, and — of course — begged for jobs.
“I don’t do anything now, except get involved in something like this,” one protester told The Daily Caller. “I’ve been unemployed for about nine months now.”
“I couldn’t find any [work],” said another. “So now I work at Domino’s, and I work as a receptionist for a real estate company.”
“A year, now, out of school,” mused a third. “and I can barely afford capitalism, right? Something’s got to give.”
Watch:
Occupy DC -or October 2011- takes over Freedom Plaza from Medill Washington on Vimeo.