Occupy Louisville Protest Continues

A week and a half in, the Occupy Louisville protest continues in Jefferson Square Park downtown, but the protest's size and location change throughout the day.After a rainy morning, less than a dozen protesters held a casual meeting in the park. They're expecting 30-40 more people to show up after the workday ends, which is typically how the occupation has gone. After that surge, the all-night demonstrators have to go to the Belvedere to sleep due to a complication with permits."Being moved to the Belvedere every night is a team-building effort. It's good for personal development. And if it puts people off, maybe that's something they need to work on and learn," says Ryan Ogiers. To him, the protest is less about removing the corporate influence on politics and more about building the people who will cause those changes.Despite the small turnout Thursday afternoon, the protesters say the event is not fizzling out, though it's now drawing little attention from downtown workers and the police."The police have been fairly and happily nonexistent, non-evasive, shockingly, considering some of the things that have gone on," says Ogiers.There have been several arrests and clashes with the police at the much larger initial demonstration in New York City.The protest began last Tuesday and has featured occasional marches to other locations. Demonstrators say it will continue as long as necessary.