The Occupy movement consumed the streets of Boston once again in honor of its one-year birthday on Sunday, this time with no plans for an encampment but with a reflection of the movement’s impact over the past year.
“A year later, it’s kind of something completely different,” said Alex Montiello, an occupier who has been involved in the movement throughout the past year. “I can say that a lot of people build character throughout the movement. The message of the movement wasn’t just for social justice, it was for rebuilding the character of America, waking up the general public.”
The protest began outside of the Boston State House as a group of more than 50 people rallied and gave speeches about Occupy Boston’s involvement.
Various leaders spoke in front of the group, utilizing the “human microphone” call and response tactics used by Occupy movements in the past.
In their march to Dewey Square, occupiers chanted a number of different phrases.
“Banks got bailed out!” said Jupiter Robinson, a young man in the middle of the crowd.
“We got sold out!” the group responded.
Boston Police Department officers bicycled around the perimeters of the march — a marked difference from the atmosphere during the fall of 2011, when protesters at times clashed with police.
Captain Thomas Lee, a District One officer who has been in the force for 30 years, said the protest was peaceful and well regulated.
“In Boston, we pretty much let people march even if they don’t have a permit or anything else,” said Lee of police protocol during protests.
“As long as they’re not disruptive, we respect their right to protest.”
Many protesters took different stances on what the Occupy movement stood for.
“There’s a lot of goals in Occupy,” Robinson said. “There isn’t really a main goal. The main goal is to get a better world, and that involves so many different things.”
Alex Pearlman, who worked with Occupy Boston’s media front last year, said the movement is evolving but still has the same principles.
“The Occupy movement was the beginning of whatever is coming next,” she said. “And that will likely have a different name, take a different form, but ultimately this really got a lot of people informed about the nasty things that the financial sector and the government are up to together and independently.”
Lee said he was unsure what exactly Occupy Boston stands for.
“I’m not sure what their message is, personally,” Lee said. “I was down here a lot, there were so many different messages. I never really learned what their real purpose is — still don’t know.”
Shawn Ojani, one of the speakers, told The Daily Free Press he does not agree fully with Occupy’s tactics.
“We’re sitting here and we’re all tucked in a corner, we’re chanting, it seems very cultish,” Ojani said. “We’re not talking about the facts, which affect people’s lives. All it does is stroke the ego of people who are already involved in the movement, and that’s not going to get us anywhere.”
Once at Dewey Square, the marching population had grown to about 150 people.
Occupiers put up a small tent and signs reading “U R Being Cheated” in the square, but made no speeches or chants.
Some protesters sat on benches, some smoked cigarettes and some mingled with other occupiers.
Robin Jacks, one of the early organizers for the Occupy Boston, said Dewey Square would not be seeing any encampments in the near future.
“I don’t think we’ll ever be occupying again,” Jacks said. “I think that tactic is dead and I think it’s dead for a good reason.”
Pearlman said she also believed the occupiers will not be doing any more occupying.
“Whatever comes next, it’s probably not going to be about tents in a park,” she said. “But there will be a bigger push and some sort of paradigm shift I’m sure.”
Jacks said Dewey Square would always be an image of the Occupy Boston movement.
“There’s something about this place, it’s always going to be a home base for us in a way,” Jacks said. “It’s good to be back.”
Jacks said labor is a big issue currently, and that she would like to see grassroots organizations fight for workers’ rights.
“Labor is a big thing this year, with the teacher strike in Chicago,” Jacks said. “I think that labor really has a big shot at stepping up.”
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Informative with a good reveal about the character and personality of the movement.