Occupy Cedar Rapids continues with protests, but no campouts

A group of Occupy Cedar Rapids members marched briefly around the downtown area early Tuesday evening, mainly in protest of the major banks, they said.

That particular phrase was used most, 39-year-old Daniel Reed noted, to denounce the top one percent of the nation's population, which has $13 trillion of the wealth, he said.

Reed, who has lived here since the age of two, said he's seen the city steadily deteriorate since then, and is now comprised largely of bars. He explained this is largely due to the the working class being kept down with less than full-time hours, and an unfair minimum wage.

"At least 35 to 45 percent of the working class drinks to forget for a little while," he said. "It's their form of escape."

But the march was brief. Picketers carried on for less than an hour before heading back to the park.

"Even though we are wholeheartedly a part of this every day, we have conflicting schedules" said Jason Wade, 34, explaining why no one has camped out at the park.

According to 23-year-old Kirkwood student Emily McCoy, in attendance again today, general assembly meetings have been held at 6:30 p.m. in the park since Sunday. Each meeting has attracted about 40 people.

"We're getting a lot of new faces," McCoy said of the leaderless group.

Protester Ajai Dittmar, 40, thinks Cedar Rapids is more of a conservative community, which is why the movement hasn't gained much momentum.

"People are happy around here because they are employed, but some of us are unemployed," said Dittmar, who works part-time.

McCoy said the group is preparing to move to a sympathizer's abandoned storefront through the winter, including plans for a possible relocation.

"There's still talk of setting up a tent city in an abandoned lot that the city owns, because it would really speak to what we think the city is doing with our flood money," she said.

"It's starting to take on a life of its own," McCoy said of the movement. "And I'm really excited for it."

According to McCoy, the group has decided to continue with assembly meetings, and individually attend city council sessions to keep abreast of community developments.

An official Facebook page for the group can be found

here.