Who is Occupying Los Angeles?

More than a thousand people were taking part in Occupy Los Angeles protests on the lawn of City Hall late Sunday night and early Monday morning. Here's what they had to say about why they were participating and what they thought of the movement.

Ruth Persky, 77, of the Pico-La Cienega area of Los Angeles, said she heard on the news that the police were about to evacuate the protesters, so she came to show her support.

"This is my first time I've come. I heard it was going to be evacuated tonight, and I wanted to come show support. I hope more people will show up, though."

On concerns about potential violent clashes between LAPD and protesters:

"I'm a little concerned, I hope as an L.A. resident the police won't behave cruelly. They've already been sued multiple times. I hope they won't give cause to another lawsuit and our tax money going to waste."

Why she supports the movement:

"I support this movement because it is a voice saying something's got to be done, something's got to be stopped. The way the country is going is not right and we have to stand up and see that there are changes."

What she thinks of the type of people gathered at Occupy L.A.:

"You see the curious, of course, like me. People in support the Occupy movement and the right to assemble. Some very dedicated people. Just an assortment."

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Sam Solomon, of Echo Park, said he's been visiting the Occupy L.A. camp on the lawn of City Hall a couple times a month. He's a self-proclaimed member of the Freedom Socialist Party, a group he described as a "feminist and socialist party."

"We're here to show our solidarity with those who have been staying at the encampment and also our continued involvement as a whole in the face of this possible, probable eviction, to show Los Angeles thinks that this is an important space and that it's eviction is an attempt to put down the power of working class people."

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K.C. Sheenan, 59, from North Hollywood, visited Occupy L.A. on the eve of the threatened evacuation with her husband to show her solidarity with the protesters.

"Things are so much worse now than when my generation was on the streets. There's less available work for a decent wage."

Her husband, 59, who declined to share his name, said he was an active protester in the civil rights and anti-war protests of the late 60s and early 70s. He said this, when asked to compare the political climates of the two eras:

"I'm not sure things are worse now, it's hard to compare. There's no Vietnam now. There's no gross racial discrimination--at least no racial discrimination that's in law. There is racial discrimination, but it doesn't have the protective layer of law. So, those are improvements. But, there's no counter example to this form of late capitalism, unchecked capitalism. I think that it's eroding democracy. I don't think democracy was as eroded 50 years as it is now, through campaign contributions, political action committees. The expense of running for office and the manner in which it's done have really driven politics into the arms of the very wealthiest people. There needs to be a counter example of another way to live and participate in democracy."

On the media's characterization of the protesters:

"It's just like in the 60s and 70s when they called them dirty, long-haired hippies. They always pull that one out. It's silly. You allays recognize them. It's laziness, it's journalistic laziness. It's much easier to characterize through generalization, than actually to go out and discover what's really going on. Editors are in cocoons and they don't really go out and connect with what's going on."

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Patricia Morris, 46, was working as a nurse in San Bernardino about six months ago when she lost her job. Then she lost her apartment. She came to Los Angeles looking for work, but couldn't find any. Eventually, she found herself homeless, living either in Downtown missions or on the streets. She made her way to Occupy Los Angeles, where it's been difficult for her.

"It's been a very interesting, it's been difficult living on the streets. It's not been a good experience here, either, but at least it's for a purpose. To make a difference. It gave me a different understanding. I think it's all to give people hope, that maybe something can be done."

Asked if she would have come to Occupy LA had she not lost her job:

I believe I probably would have, because I would have thought if it could happen to anybody else, it could happen to me.

Billy Yllanes, was writing a sign in chalk on the ground near the steps of City Hall, encouraging people to move the the South Central Farm. Yllanes said he's had a guitar stolen from him at the camp and contracted head lice. He agrees with the city that the camp is unsanitary and needs to be shut down. He supports the Occupy movement, though, and he said the next step is to capture the momentum from this occupation and use it to teach young people effective methods of sustainable farming and participating in democracy.

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"I don't think it's ineffective, I just think its served its purpose. If the world really watched what happened here--it's a microcosm. In the beginning, it was safer. There were a lot less homeless people here. As time went on and no direction came, the same thing that happened to America happened here. More homeless people came here, and middle class moved out. It became less hygienic, more unsanitary. This is why you have to shut it down. It's just simply unsanitary. I only spent two nights here, I got head lice from a girl who came into my tent. I had to put mayonnaise in my hair, my guitar got stolen. I'm still here, not because I care about Occupy L.A., but because I care about looking toward the youth to come up with better ideas. All this is just the first idea. It's time for us to make it happen. To own up and be responsible."