Protesters voiced their opinions to the crowd by megaphone. Protesters
held diverse signs requesting the top 1 percent of Americans to pay
their fair share among other signs.
Esteban Cortez / The Collegian

A diverse crowd of nearly 150 people attended the first of four “Occupy Fresno” events on Thursday at Tulare and O Streets this past weekend.

Similar protests have taken place around the country in solidarity with “Occupy Wall Street” in New York City.

Fresno State student and Occupy Fresno organizer Steven Avila has been planning the event for over a week. The events were held at the Robert E. Coyle Federal Courthouse and the River Park shopping center.

Peace Fresno organized the demonstration called “Stop the Machine, Create a New World” which had been planned two months in advance.

“We had announced our demonstration weeks ago, but some other groups decided to call it ‘Occupy Fresno’. We support the movement,” vice president of Peace Fresno Dan Yaseen said.

Organizers of “Occupy Fresno” united to support the cause.

Avila and other organizers decided to help the movement.

“‘Occupy Fresno’ has not yet begun,” Avila said.

Avila and other organizers began “Occupy Fresno” by planning to occupy the Fresno County Courthouse Park in downtown Fresno from Sunday at 5 p.m. until further notice.

Avila, along with other Fresno State students and organizers, distributed about 1,400 flyers on campus and on Facebook to promote the event.

“Families, single people, married couples and everybody in the city have been affected in some way,” Avila added. “Even high tuition can be linked with what has been going on.”

Avila added that Americans­ did not have a venue to state their concerns. ‘We have given them this venue.”

Many cars honked in support while other showed their opposition by giving thumbs-down gestures.

Fresno organizers hope the movement will lead to a “constitutional amendment to limit the one percent in power or another political party,” Avila said.

Similar demonstrations have taken place across the country in more than 100 cities.

Opponents of the Thursday event stood across the street and voiced their disagreement with the movement.

“I believe in capitalism and free market,” Fresno State student Justin Thomason said.

“They shouldn’t tax people according to how much they make,” added Thomason, while holding a sign that read “Don’t tax the 1% BRO” and “I love Capitalism.”

Fresno State professor emiritus Dr. Sudarshan Kappor said there is nothing wrong with capitalism, as long as it’s responsible capitalism.

“There is too much corporation greed,” Kappor said.

“We are the 99 percent,” Fresno State student Luis Sanchez said. “I feel that the system is broken. We are spending money where we shouldn’t spend it on.”

Protesters had diverse discussions.

“A lot of people disagreed on taxes,” Sanchez said. “There were supporters of Ron Paul, homeless, upper and middle class Fresno residents. It was a very diverse crowd.”

Not all attendees at the event were protesting. Some attendees attempted to promote potential presidential candidate Ron Paul.

Avila said at least 200 people attended every protest.

“The protest became a venue of a larger dialogue of the Fresno community,” Sanchez said.

The “Occupy Fresno” Facebook account has been a meeting site for protesters and organizers. The “Occupy Fresno” account currently has more than 1,000 likes.