Indianapolis starts its own Occupy Wall Street Protest

Hundreds of people marched around Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis on Saturday to protest what they see as economic inequality and a government that doesn't listen.

More than 1,000 people gathered at Veterans Memorial Plaza to take part in Occupy Indianapolis, which was inspired by the 3-week-old Occupy Wall Street protest in New York. The protest was largely organized online through Facebook and other websites.

The protesters carrying signs with slogans including "People not profits" and "Stop corporate greed" were surrounded by war memorials and the American Legion's national headquarters. The throng broke into occasional chants of "You are the 99," referring to the 99 percent of the American people they say government and corporations take for granted.

As they marched several blocks to the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, the crowd chanted, "This is what democracy looks like." One man waved a U.S. flag bearing corporate logos instead of stars.

Many people said they joined the protest out of frustration, while others said they were fed up because the government seems to listen more to corporations than it does voters.

"I feel like I've been robbed, and I'm just letting it out," said Mark Gilbert, 52, of Fishers, who said he's watched the economy slash his 401(K) by 42 percent since 2008.

Trista Foster, a student from Indianapolis who works two jobs, said economic benefits were supposed to trickle down, but that hasn't happened.

"We're tired of being taken advantage of," she said. "We're tired of being stepped on."

Jithin Vijayan, a U.S. citizen born in India who attends the University of Indianapolis, said he believed the protests across the country were the beginning of a political movement.

"I think this is a wonderful moment," he said. "I think it's time for a change."

About an hour after the protest began, organizers invited the crowd to break into discussion groups to brainstorm their next step, but most followed a group returning to the march's starting point.

Occupy Indianapolis spokesman Joh Padgett said the group planned to move Saturday to the Statehouse grounds, where the protest would continue indefinitely.