A collection of photos taken between 2011 - 2012. During this period I was learning more about photography and whenever I was out at Downtown Los Angeles I would stop by to see what the Occupiers were up to. The photos start about mid 2011 around the time the City Hall was just beginning to be occupied and Los Angeleans started to see the tents going up and protests taking place. The end of 2011 also marks the time I was laid off from work and on that day went out to shoot after I was told the news. The Occupiers were in front of the Bank of America building holding a protest that ended up on the news. I was spotted by a friend on one of the network news.
During the beginning stages of the movement I wasn't sure what to think about the people behind it all. As I spent time among them, read their signs, watched and read about what they were protesting about I could understand more what they were protesting about. My status being as such I could say that I, generally speaking, was a 99%er. As time passed I thought that their message about Wall Street was turning into many different messages about many different issues. At some point I did find it all becoming silly to the point where even I could not take it that seriously anymore. It was also evident that the corporations and the government overpowered them and most who were supporters just went back to their daily lives.
I don't believe the movement is done but the impact it had made or could have made, I feel, has dwindled. I still see the remaining few from time to time.
During the beginning stages of the movement I wasn't sure what to think about the people behind it all. As I spent time among them, read their signs, watched and read about what they were protesting about I could understand more what they were protesting about. My status being as such I could say that I, generally speaking, was a 99%er. As time passed I thought that their message about Wall Street was turning into many different messages about many different issues. At some point I did find it all becoming silly to the point where even I could not take it that seriously anymore. It was also evident that the corporations and the government overpowered them and most who were supporters just went back to their daily lives.
I don't believe the movement is done but the impact it had made or could have made, I feel, has dwindled. I still see the remaining few from time to time.
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© rinzi ruiz photography