SALEM — The "Occupy Wall Street" movement that started in New York City and spread to Boston and other cities has arrived here.
A dozen people met at Shetland Park last night to establish what they hope will be "Occupy Salem," one more outpost in a movement that, despite being accused of having no clear message or goals, continues to grow and gather strength on a tide of widespread discontent.
"I think it's tapping into people's frustrations," said Sue Kirby of Salem, a former GE union activist. "It's a moral message — it's community taking care of each other. Corporations aren't king; people are.
"We aren't being heard," she said, "and this is a way of being heard."
Like many movements, this one is spreading virally. The individuals who showed up last night heard about it from emails or on Facebook at "Occupy Salem MA."
"Eventually, it will be impacting every town," said organizer and Salem resident Carlos Juan Pacheco, who stood on the steps of a Shetland Park building holding a sign that read "Occupy."
"I hope ... we restore the Republic," he said. "There has been a corporate coup d'é©tat by the bankers."
Unlike other Occupy protests, the small group in Salem was largely middle-aged or older.
One man wore a mask to cover his face. When approached by a reporter, he declined to speak.
Pacheco said people at other demonstrations have covered their faces to conceal their identities.
"Some employers fire their employees," he said.
Prior to going inside to meet, the Salem group said they don't yet have a plan and don't know if they will occupy anything in Salem or anywhere on the North Shore. They came together as a group to share ideas and decide what to do, several said.
"We're not doing anything until we're all on board," Patrick Rosenheim of Danvers said.
But they know they don't like what they see.
"The system is broken ..." Rosenheim said. "The whole thing is broken. ... Within six weeks' time, there were over 400 lobbyists lobbying the super committee," he said, referring to the Congressional committee charged with reducing the deficit. "How is that right?"
This movement is spreading, several said, because millions of people are out of jobs, facing foreclosures or just struggling to survive.
"It spread because it's emotional and everybody is hurting somehow," Pacheco said.
Some who came saw this national phenomenon in political terms.
"I think the occupy movement is the (liberals') answer to the tea party," said Thomas Costagliola, a Salem real estate agent. "The left is finally finding its voice."
A few people had been to Occupy Boston and hoped to see that same spirit on the North Shore.
"I was so excited by the enthusiasm, commitment and idealism of the people there," said Kirby, who said she slept in Dewey Square, the encampment of Occupy Boston.
"If we want to see change, we have to win over the 99 percent, and they live everywhere."
Raw Video: Hail Storm Batters Oklahoma City
California's Foie Gras Ban About to Begin
6-Year-Old Going to National Spelling Bee
Video Essay: Funky Winkerbean Comic Turns 40
On Thailand Trip, Suu Kyi Visits Migrants
Raw Video: Pink Diamond Auctioned for $17.4M
Hurricane Andrew Remembered, 20 Years Later
Sister Says She Reported Brother in Patz Killing
Patz Suspect's Sister: I Went to Police in 1980s
Diplomatic Expulsions Follow Fresh Syria Report
15 Dead in Northern Italy's 5.8-magnitude Quake
Witness Describes Fla. Face-chewing Attack
Man Falls Off Crane, Dies After Police Standoff
Russia Condemns Ally Syria Over Massacre of 108
Dairy Farm Uses Chiropractor to Help Cows
Unexpected Smog in Pristine National Parks
Air Canada Plane Makes Emergency Landing
New Ticks Spread Across Southeast, Diseases Rise
Bring Your Own Tech Programs Charge Up Students
Service Dogs Help Wash. Soldiers Battling PTSD
