Students, professors, ex-managers of companies; men and women of all ages. This is Occupy Orange County, in solidarity with the popular “Occupy Wall Street.” Though located only 15 minutes away from Cal State Fullerton, little may be known among students about the protest and the protesters’ specific goals and methods.

On Oct. 14, more than 600 people rallied in Irvine to protest against corporations. The day after, Occupy Orange County began. On Jan. 26, around 20 tents were located at Lyons Field on the corner of Harbor and Brea Boulevard. The movement has been in Fullerton since Jan. 11.

Occupy Santa Ana started a month later. They are currently trying to fuse to represent a unique Occupy O.C.

Overall, the Occupy movement includes more than 600 communities in the United States. Each one chose its own projects. Occupy O.C. established 23 grievances around several issues.

Among these grievances, four specific projects can be distinguished. The first one is to create a credit union in order to create a community-specific banking infrastructure, “a community credit so we are investing in our own community, Fullerton, instead of banks,” said Andrew Weber, 26, an Irvine resident.

Second, they wish to build alliances with environmentalists to create “sustainable societies and infrastructure that are outside (the) industrial capital system. To provide ourselves food, clothing and shelter. It’s about creating the world we want to live in,” said Charles Cha, 38, an occupier since the beginning of the Irvine camp.

The student loan issue is the third project. There is also the “Occupy foreclosure movement,” in which protesters occupy houses that are ready to be foreclosed in hopes of preventing the seizure. However, their main focus is against Citizens United.

“Our main trust at this point is a constitutional amendment ending corporate personhood,” Cha said. “… That would be the first step to liberating humanity from a mindset that is totally destructive. The problem with corporations is that it’s against the law for corporations to save lives, to save the earth, to do what’s right – they can only by law maximize profit. They will not stop until everything is destroyed. Legally!” In Fullerton, the protesters’ first priority was to get involved with the community.

“For now, our main focus is to reach out to our community, to hear what their personal issues are so we can work on resolutions about what the city wants,” Weber said.

They are looking to associate with CSUF and Fullerton College to rally. They also contacted community organizations such as Neighbors United for Fullerton and the Citizens Oversight Committee, among others.

Occupy O.C. has never had trouble with the rest of the community, and the local police support them, said Cha. They camp with the permission of local authorities.

Jessica Lowerre, 24, is a CSUF alumna camping at Lyons Field. “I got more job offers with my yoga certification than I got with my bachelor’s degree. My yoga certification costs me the same as one semester at Cal State Fullerton,” said Lowerre.

After graduating in May 2010 with a B.A. in anthropology, Lowerre said she could not find work.

“So you wonder why are these normal, respectable people in a park? Because it has gotten out of control,” Cha said.

Occupy O.C. is a leaderless movement and has about seven committees and a web page explaining their situation. “We are serious social protesters,” Cha said, who has also been a member of the Global Justice Movement for 15 years. “At the Zapatista rebellion in 1994, it was said, ‘You’ve got to organize it at home.’ I feel like (Occupy O.C.) is a combination of all that.”