Several hundred people crowded into Frank H. Ogawa Plaza on Monday to mark the start of Occupy Oakland, an offshoot of the nationwide movement that continues to gather momentum with its denunciation of corporate greed and a U.S. government that faciltates it. 

Occupy Oakland kicked off with protesters lining up to express their disparate reasons for being there. Their demands ranged from returning all Wall Street bonuses to converting “the United States into a non-profit” nation.

“I want to hear why everybody’s here today, I want to hear what people want out of this,” said a woman who identified herself as Needabee. “What I want is, I want this shit to change. I don’t want to struggle to get food and clothes.”

Occupy Oakland participants set up tents and said they are planning to camp out at the plaza indefinitely.

Similar protests have surged across the United States. In cities like New York, where the Occupy Wall Street movement began late last month, and Los Angeles, thousands of protesters have organized themselves in public spaces in scenes reminiscent of the Arab Spring protests that spread through the Middle East earlier this year.

Like the Occupy movement at-large, the Oakland protest seemed to lack a cohesive message. The one that appeared to resonate most with the diverse crowd was, “We are the 99 percent” -- essentially a statement that the protesters are among the vast majority of Americans cut off from an economic system that allows 1 percent of the people to control most of the nation's wealth.

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In some places, protesters have organized themselves into highly sophisticated self-sufficient encampments that provide food, clothing, communication and first aid. But the Occupy movement is largely leaderless. Decisions are made by consensus in a “General Assembly” where participants voice concerns and vote.

After the General Assembly meets, the group dissolves into smaller working groups that carry out decisions or resolve issues.  

The group behind Monday’s protest has met several times but was unable to reach a consensus about Occupy Oakland’s purpose, according to participants.  

The apparent weaknesses of this system were on display. Members of a working group tasked with reaching out to the press were present were not allowed to talk to reporters. The reason, according to organizers, was that Occupy Oakland was unable to agree on a common message or purpose.

But for participants like Anna Villalobos, a postal worker, the lack of a central message compelled her to participate. Villalobos said it was her first protest. She said she shied away previously because she did not want to identified with a group or a particular agenda.

“Some protests identify themselves Republican and I don’t want to go there because I’m a Democrat but some protests are liberal and I don’t go,” Villalobos said. “In this one, everybody is one. It’s not sponsored by a group. Everybody has a different story but everybody is upset."

Queena Kim

Anna Villalobos, a postal worker, at the Occupy Oakland protest.