Occupy Long Beach Reveals Economic Hardships

In what the growing Occupy Long Beach movement has been expressing late this week at the edge of Belmont Shore, the impact of the country's high unemployment rate and lack of equivalent job growth has left local folks reeling. As with protests born in New York City with Occupy Wall Street, there is certainly anger and disgust with financial institutions and Congress for failing to protect everyday Americans from humbling life changes. 

What is perhaps even more revealing are the halting, even stoic, testimonials that have posted on YouTube far and wide. Participants at Thursday's Bluff Park gathering numbered about 50. And in past days there have been personal narratives about hunger, uncertainty, homelessness, living with parents, living with adult children, struggles to explain to children evictions or cars or homes reposessed.

The group meets again starting at 6 p.m. One of the organizers shared with Patch his video of last night's gathering, and he explains his situation below.

"My name is Jai D. Hudson,

I'm head of the Internet Committee, I study Philosophy and the exploring of philosophy of ethics which play a major role in OCCUPY LONG BEACH. I am 25. my way of earning money is through art. (Jaijaii's Art Page on Facebook) I sell and make lotion too (Omega 3 Hemp lotion with Aloe Vera). I recently started making clothing for Midnite (the roots reggae band.) I belong to the Noetic Society (http://www.noeticsociety.org/)

i joined the Occupy Long Beach Movement in hopes to pull the weight that the old and too young can't. I fight against poverty while under the poverty line and I represent the workers, like my mother, that are in poverty and working. I believe that it is possible to gain oppurtunities from the top 1% so that poverty decreases and the middle class grows!

Thank you,
Jaijaii

Of the YouTube in which he is featured (attached) the girl on the guitar is Riss. "I'm the one speaking before her, he adds.