Holiday madness is bustling and the weather is getting chilly, but Gilroy’s Occupiers met up Saturday to hammer out details for an upcoming gathering.
While logistics are subject to change, the group plans to meet at 11 a.m. Jan. 14 at Miller Park on 7851 Carmel St., where they will march around 12 p.m. to Chase Bank, located at 1177 First Street in Gilroy.
A group of 10 Occupiers considered walking to Chase Bank Saturday, but decided to wait until Jan. 14 after the holiday craziness has subsided.
Similar to Gilroy’s first Occupy event on Nov. 18, Dom Payne – a member of the Gilroy Unified School District Board of Trustees who helps facilitate the Occupy gatherings – said Occupiers plan to notify and coordinate with the Gilroy Police Department for the Jan. 14 demonstration.
“It’s not that we’re against the banks,” reminded Jesus Becerra, 30. “We just want to see them change.”
Other possibilities the group discussed included staging a Gilroy transfer date, where residents take their money out of larger branches such as Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Chase and open accounts at local credit unions. Participants also discussed pinpointing an issue of concern at the next City Council meeting and showing up as a group.
Rather than follow suit of Occupiers around the region, who set up permanent camps on public property outside banks and corporations, Gilroy Occupiers intend to continue the momentum of public discussions, where issues of concern are raised and brought to the table.
One of the topics Saturday’s participants explored is committing to local business, while getting by on a small budget that stretches farther in bigger chain stores.
“That’s the Wal-Mart riddle, right?” observed Payne, who has five children of his own. “You do the best you can. That’s the only way to put it.”
The group has compiled a list of national demands that Gilroy Occupiers resonate with. They’re also working on drafting a set of local demands.
“In a small town, you have to let the energy ebb and flow,” said Payne, of keeping Gilroy’s Occupy torch aflame. “It’s going to go through a low ebb, and then towards elections it’s going to pick up again. People are going to occupy with their votes.”
For continued updates and discussion, visit the Occupy Gilroy Facebook page.
About the Occupy movement
The recent gatherings in Gilroy are among hundreds branching from the original movement on Wall Street, which began Sept. 17 in Manhattan.
The unrest stems from a gamut of grievances such as corporate greed, economic inequality and the influence of corporate lobbyists on government.
Supporters camp out on public property, tout signs and stage organized assemblies, or “occupations,” where participants engage in large group discussions and express their views through hand signals.
Gilroy Occupiers have not set up any permanent camps.
The cause has spread nationwide to more than 200 cities including Hollister, which held its own protest Oct. 13.
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