The Occupy Portland rally started at Waterfront Park. After hearing speeches at the park, the group walked to Broadway and proceeded to Pioneer Courthouse Square. I watched the Square fill up in about thirty minutes as the people exited Broadway and spilled onto the Square. As I talked to people and shot photographs, I noticed this group was a mixed bag. I was handed several pieces of literature from totally different organizations. One group wrote on Umbrella Man, and taped a flyer to his back. The people I talked to all had different grievances. What became very clear to me was there is a huge amount of dissatisfaction; with the way things are going. I don’t think this is just going to go away anytime soon. I was really impressed with the calm atmosphere that prevailed. The Portland Police Department and the coordinators of the event did a fantastic job managing the situation. I don’t know if the group succeeded in occupying Portland, but they certainly did occupy Pioneer Courthouse Square.
