Hundreds come out to 'Occupy GR' (Grand Rapids, MI)

Source: WOOD

Hundreds gathered on Calder Plaza Saturday to show support for a national demonstration about discontent with Wall Street and the current political system.

The movement 'Occupy Grand Rapids' was the first of its kind in West Michigan.

The group posted on their Facebook page that the protest "stemmed from frustration with corporate greed and control over politics, as well as the disparity between the wealth of the extremely rich and the rest of the populous."

The 'Occupy Grand Rapids' movement stems from much larger events in cities across the nation including New York City, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles.

Read more: http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/grand_rapids/hundreds-come-out-to-occupy-gr

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West Michigan is known for being strongly Republican. But there are plenty of progressive Democrats here too!

The first Democrat to do so since LBJ in 1964.

trying to make the city an example of republican values. I've been downtown recently. The Amway Grand Hotel is opulent, beautiful. The surrounding area is well-maintained. There is a high police presence. Half of the buildings there are empty, if I recall correctly, and many homeless people walk the streets.

In-law, Erik Prince, ex-Blackwater founder. His sister, Betsy DeVos, was a former chairwoman of the Michigan GOP and is married to Dick DeVos, former Amway Chairman. The whole family is worth Billions... They are all Dutch conservative Christians and pretty much control Grand Rapids and Ottawa county. That area is considered the 'Bible Belt' of Michigan with a Christian Reformed Church (Calvinist) about on every other corner. I know as I lived in Grand Haven for a time within Ottawa county. Very, very conservative area and also very anti-union.

Dick DeVos is the son of Amway co-founder Richard DeVos, and recently ran a pathetic campaign for governor of MI.

We visited this pretty city this past summer at our church's annual conference. Met and talked to many people, including folks circulating petitions to recall the governor. My sense is that this could be bigger and longer lasting than the city fathers might expect.