It seems that 2012 will be a year full of change, and it’s a safe bet that anywhere there are large crowds in the New Year, the Occupy movement won’t be far behind.
Case in point – the 2012 Tournament of Roses.
Not only were there flowery floats and marching bands typical of the pomp and circumstance that embodies the annual parade, but there were also protesters – and plenty of them.
At the end of the two-hour spectacle came several thousand Occupy Wall Street protesters in a demonstration that was organized as early as last November.
As the marching bands disappeared from sight, there were chants of “Banks got bailed out, we got sold out” as the Occupy the Rose Parade demonstration, organized by members of Occupy L.A., retraced some of parade route before heading for a rally near City Hall.
They carried a giant banner that said “We the People” to represent the United States Constitution. Some protesters also held a 70-foot-long octopus made out of recycled plastic bags representing the tentacles of corporate greed in America.
“This is about getting money out of politics,” said Greg Stevens, a 38-year-old public health lecturer at the University of Southern California. “I support everything this movement is about.”
As the protesters marched down the street, some spectators yelled “get a job” while others snapped photos and cheered them on.
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