Worldwide movement has spread to Marquette
MARQUETTE -- It started on Wall Street a month ago, now it's made its way to the Upper Peninsula.
Organized in just a few days, an 'Occupy the U.P.' movement mobilized more than 100 people Saturday morning on Washington Street. They say there needs to be an end to unethical business practices, economic and social inequality. Saturday's unifying message from the group in the U.P. was: "They got bailed out, we got sold out."
Twenty-year-old Evan Clendening may look young but says he's got more invested in the battle against corporate greed than meets the eye.
"Last year, I was diagnosed with leukemia," says Clendening. "In order to stay alive, I had to take a medicine that cost $7,000 a month. In order to keep myself alive, I have to jump through hoops."
He says that unethical price tag is controlling his life, and he's here to fight as just one voice of hundreds.
Even though the U.P. is thousands of miles away from Wall Street, a large group gathered in Harlow Park in Marquette Saturday morning. They marched through downtown Marquette, holding signs and chanting. They call themselves the '99 percenters,' part of a worldwide movement of people from all walks of life speaking out against greed, corrupt corporate power and unethical practices.
Saturday in the U.P. they staged at Wells Fargo, a recipient of bailout tax dollars. They stood at all four corners of the Front and Washington Street intersection, urging people to withdraw their funds and support local entities.
"We, as consumers, play a vital role in the economy," says Marquette resident Chris Paulus. "We're taking our money back out of their hands because they used it very inappropriately."
Some passing by the demonstration say this movement is anti-capitalist, and they don't entirely agree with its message.
"I work hard for my money," says business owner John Johnson. "I invested it, I was the one who took all the chances. I don't see why, if I do well, I should be expected to share my wealth."
Others say that's the very sentiment they're speaking out against.
"We've all paid in. When I hear this stuff about 'entitlement,' I worked 20 years before I got hurt," says citizen David Cobb. "It's not about trying to take the rich people's money; it's just making it fair and letting everybody pay their fair share."
'Occupy the U.P.' says their work isn't over. They plan to stage more protests in the future.
The Marquette Police Department said they did not receive any complaints about Saturday's protest.
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