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Politics & Government

Occupy Doylestown: Local Voices Join National Cause

At least 130 protesters of various backgrounds and political affiliations advocate justice for the unemployed, homeless, indebted and uninsured.

Despite the misty rain, 62-year-old Jean Leavitt of Dublin stood at the corner of State and Main streets late Thursday afternoon to support Occupy Doylestown, a local offshoot of Occupy Wall Street, the grassroots movement that has many expressing frustration over government cuts and corporate greed.  

A self-employed consultant of 30 years, Leavitt said she is without health care for the first time in her life, simply because she cannot afford it. She said she worries about what will happen when she retires in a few years. Her children, fresh out of college, are struggling to pay back massive loans.

“This isn’t just my story, it’s everywhere,” she said. “The wrong needs to stop.”

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More than 100 likeminded people of all ages continued to picket into the evening, thrusting signs into the air that read “Rebuild America,” and “Where’s my bailout?”

Vocal protesters chanted “We are the 99,” a motto the movement has adopted to display its resistance to the 1 percent of citizens who control most of the country's wealth.

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Throngs of police officers guarded the downtown area, but protesters remained peaceful.

Some noted seeing members of the Doylestown-based Tea Party group Kitchen Table Patriots drive through the intersection waving “Don’t Tread on Me” flags.

“This is what Doylestown looks like when we come together,” said Marlene Pray, Doylestown Borough Council candidate, reaching the crowd through a megaphone.

“We’re raising the volume in a very local way by putting faces, names and stories to what’s being talked about,” she said, responding to opposition criticisms that the Occupy movement isn’t accomplishing anything tangible.

One such story is that of Doylestown’s Liz Lacey-Osler, 46, a Central Bucks school bus driver who will lose her job and pension if the county follows through on to a UK-based company, First Student, which already handles many of the district's routes.  

Another is 17-year-old Jacob Bell, a senior at , who said he’s worried about not being able to afford his top college choices without increasingly hard-to-get financial aid.

Artist Theresa Brown-Gold, 57, of New Britain, put a literal face to the movement by bringing two original portraits of people affected negatively by the government, part of a larger Art as Social Inquiry series on health care in the United States.

“What did he do wrong?” she asked, pointing to one painting of a man whom she described as being a productive member of society before going bankrupt after his wife gave birth to premature twins.

The second portrait showed a face streaked with dark colors – a pregnant woman who died from a preexisting condition without access to treatment covered by insurance.  

“If we don’t care about our fellow citizens, then we’ve lost our moral compass,” she said.

Many protesters agreed, explaining that the Occupy movement is a starting point for helping those who need it most – the unemployed, homeless, indebted and uninsured – by peacefully transcending party lines and championing good government.

“The street corner is not enough,” said Stephen Nathan, 52, of Sellersville, who lost his job as a paralegal nearly five years ago. Since falling victim to the economy, he’s joined the progressive advocacy group MoveOn.org as a regional organizer and has prompted others to contact their elected officials and vote for change.

“The country’s stagnated,” agreed Kevin Fitzgerald, 60, of Harleysville, who sported an American flag bandana and held a particularly noticeable sign picturing corporate CEOs with glued-on pig noses.

“I hope it sends a message to politicians to do what’s right instead of voting along party lines. It’s more about working together better to stop the bickering,” he said, adding that he plans to attend rallies in New York next week.

Nearby, 31-year-old Heidi Froehlich of Doylestown, an employee of on State Street, sat on the store’s front stoop watching the crowds protest with a smile. 

“I’ve been waiting a long time for a revolution. I might be up there if I wasn’t trying to make a dollar,” she said, revealing the plight of many struggling to stay afloat in the tumultuous economy.

Discouraged by the present, but hopeful for the future, Leavitt joined in the protests for two hours Thursday evening, clapping as passing cars honked loudly in support.

A small sign she brought with her spoke more loudly than the ongoing chants: “When the power of love overcomes the love of power, there will be peace.”

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