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On a balmy October afternoon, the normally quiet College Green was flooded with protesters as part of the emerging “Occupy Wall Street” demonstrations that have been sweeping the United States. Sitting in a large semi circle around a flat sheet of cardboard dubbed the “soapbox,” the protesters took turns bringing up grievances against the system, taking issue with a variety of government policies, from the war in Afghanistan, to Healthcare, to wealth distribution.

“A lot of people here just feel like they’d rather get pissed off than pissed on.” David Ellinger, one of the many occupiers currently residing in the park, said.

It was a sentiment that was echoed by many of the protesters there, as evidenced by the many slogans drawn on the sidewalk with phrases like “Be your own Robin Hood,” “Money isn’t speech,” and “End the Fed.”

“It’s a matter of truth. Efforts like this go to prove that sovereign nations need to take care of their own people.” Michael Tibbets, an Iowa City native taking part of the protests, said.

Mirroring many of the other protest movements that have occurred this year, social networking played a major roll in helping to organize the protests.

“I found out about the Occupy protests through Facebook.” Alison Clark, one of the protest organizers, said. “I was upset that it hadn’t been covered much by the media.”

The organization that helped to put the protests together appears to have helped maintain them as well. Negotiations with the City Council have granted the protesters the right to install portable toilets on the premises, and the protesters have managed to avoid confrontation with law enforcement so far.

“[The police] have been very cooperative.” Clark said. “We’re granted access to the park so long as we don’t do any damage and don’t disturb the neighbors.”

To avoid damaging the park, protesters have taken over maintenance of the park, moving tents every three days to avoid killing the grass, and picking up trash.

Tibbets described a typical day at College Green. “Everybody gathers in the morning to clean up everything. Then we have informational meetings throughout the day. In the evening, everybody makes dinner together, with donations that we’ve been given. By the time the day is over, we’re all full and happy, and there’s a feeling that this is how it’s supposed to be.”

Demonstrators intend to continue occupying the park, as plans have been drawn up to keep encampments over the winter.

“I think more and more people will come to the protests especially as more they begin to understand and become educated” Clark said.