Day Two of the occupation began quietly Saturday morning as chilly and groggy members of the protest group Occupy Atlanta emerged from their tents in Woodruff Park and then set about planning the day's activities.
Workshops on first aid and the news media were held during the day and a general assembly was planned for the early evening.
On Friday, several hundred members of the group rallied in the park to protest, among a number of topics, corporate greed and the war in Afghanistan. By early Saturday, a few dozen milled about the park enjoying the warm sunshine and cups of coffee.
The protests are timed for the 10th anniversary for the war in Afghanistan and patterned after an Occupy group that has been encamped in Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan since mid-September.
"This is our solidarity movement with them," said Lyndsey DeBoard, a 21-year-old Georgia State University student.
DeBoard said Atlanta police initially told the protesters to stay on the sidewalks and to leave room for pedestrian traffic but later allowed Occupy members to set up a dozen or so tents in Woodruff Park in downtown Atlanta. "They said we could as long as we behaved ourselves," she added.
When asked how long the Occupy group planned to stay there, Rob Call of Snellville answered, "As long as possible. It's very collaborative."
Vincent Castillenti acknowledged the group does not have formal demands and also has no true leader.
"We are seeing people come here from a lot of backgrounds and interests," Castillenti said. "We're figuring out what needs to happen. We're just getting started."
He and Marlon Kautz, both from Copwatch of east Atlanta, which patrols the city and films police activity, gave instructions to protesters on the rights of those being questioned by authorities.
Tim Franzen said the protest so far has been a success, particularly given the size of the crowd that rallied at the park Friday evening. "And I got to sleep in Woodruff Park on a beautiful evening," he added.
Franzen works for the American Friends Service Committee, the Quaker-based group committed to social justice and peace and which is lending space at its downtown office for Occupy members and meetings.
The Occupy gatherings have drawn criticism from a variety of sources, including U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., who called them "mobs."
On Friday, Errin Calhoun, enjoying a sandwich in the park with a friend, said the protesters should do more to reach those walking past them. "They seem to be talking among themselves," she said.
Calhoun, 21, also said Occupy Atlanta needs an agenda. "They need to specifically ask for something, " said the Cobb County resident. "They say, ‘I am the 99 percent who refuse to remain silent' ... About, blank? Silent about what? If they want to be effective they need to knock things out. There are ten thousand million billion trillion things you can do about unemployment better than standing out here and holding a sign."
They have also drawn praise from experienced organizers, including union leaders and long-time activists. U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat, attended the rally Friday evening and wanted to address the group but was not allowed to do so. In a statement, Lewis said he found their activism "inspiring."
One effect of the gatherings is to draw newcomers into activism who haven't participated in any kind of protest in the past, including those who seem unlikely activists. "I'm surprised, " said Carter Thomas, 21, "how many people there are [in Occupy Atlanta] that we don't know."
An example would be the mild-mannered and well-dressed Britts of Tucker. John Britt, 76, a retired accountant, said he's done little in the past but watch other demonstrations on television. But something told him to come downtown Friday.
"It seemed like it was time to do something more than sit in the chair and watch, " he said. While a workshop from a group called Copwatch offered instruction on the rights of those being questioned by police, Britt and his wife Suzanne, 71, talked about the lack of national leadership to combat unemployment.
"It's the middle class that's been losing, " said Suzanne Britt. "Nothing has been done and something needs to be done."
Staff writer Bo Emerson contributed to this article.
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