Matthew Bacon, Journal Staff

Despite attracting minimal media attention, the Occupy Wall Street protest is growing around the country in cities like Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston. The protests are also spreading to Washington, San Francisco, Tampa, Seattle, and Portland. On September 27, Boston’s First General Assembly convened around the gazebo in the Boston Common to begin planning an “Occupy Boston” event.

The assembly began with speeches from anyone wishing to have their voice heard.  Many of these people were of low income, out of work, or homeless. Personal gain, however, was not in the interest of these people. “This is a fight for the soul of our nation,” said one woman, “It’s more than money.”

Following the speeches, the protestors-to-be split up into “sub-committees” to organize the event. These committees covered things like choosing a date and location, supplying food to the protestors, spreading the word of the protests, and providing medical attention for the protestors.  “I lost my job, and then because of that, my home too,” said one man. “This is all I have left, and not only can I speak out against the system that put me in this place, but the people here support me more than the government does.”

The actual protests began on Friday at Dewey Square, across from Boston’s Federal Reserve Bank.  Starting with about 400 participants, the numbers swelled to over 1,000 in about an hour.  Due to inclement weather, the number of protestors camping overnight decreased to about 60.  Protests continued as planned on Saturday, however, and lasted through the weekend.  If Occupy Boston reaches its goal, a huge crowd of protestors will camp out in Dewey Square for as long as it takes for their demands (which have not yet been cemented) are met.