Occupy Rockford, Ill.

More than 80 people with the Occupy Rockford movement marched on the opening of a new federal courthouse on S. Church Street on Oct. 29. Police attempted to lead the march, but a group of masked skateboarding youth broke off from the route and took to other streets, eventually meeting up with the rest of the march at the courthouse.

When the march arrived at the courthouse, the protesters were welcomed by a banner reading, “End market madness — stop Wall Street welfare — tax the richest 1%.” A group of activists had attached the banner to the top of a police parking garage across the street from the courthouse.

Protesters got very creative, holding music circles and playing random instruments just to make as much noise as they could. Overall, the mood of the crowd was very positive and upbeat. The speeches made were in favor of reforming capitalism instead of abolishing it, but many in the crowd held anti-capitalist viewpoints and made arguments on behalf of socialism and left political ideologies.

— Tommy Cavanaugh