As tens of thousands of people gather to protest in the financial districts of New York, Chicago and Oakland, a string of smaller and less visible occupations has grown across the American South.

Occupy Oklahoma City, the largest Occupy Wall Street solidarity group in the state, has staged an around-the-clock occupation for the past 15 days in Kerr Park.

Kerr Park lies at the heart of Oklahoma City’s financial district and features an amphitheater, which was initially used for meetings by protesters until it was decided that the centralized layout of the amphitheater facilitated an unequal exercise of influence over discussion.

About 40 demonstrators are occupying Kerr Park on a continuous basis, sleeping in portable tents. Their numbers are supplemented to varying degrees during the day.

Since the commencement of the occupation, protesters have staged marches through the streets surrounding Kerr Park at least twice a day or more.

Local media coverage of these activities has been shallow and police surveillance casual to nonexistent.

In the words of union organizer Nicholas Klein, “First they ignore you. Then they ridicule you. And then they attack you and want to burn you. And then they build monuments to you.”

While the New York occupation currently exists somewhere between the second and third phases of this process, Occupy Oklahoma City is stuck firmly in the first.

Despite this, the mood among protesters is buoyant. Given Oklahoma’s enormous political conservatism, simply gathering to acknowledge there is a fundamental problem with the American economic and political system is a great stride forward.

“I really never cared about [politics] until now. I never thought it was worth putting any effort into,” said protester Shauntel Hatten, who recently joined the Kerr Park occupation. “When I first got here, I really didn’t know a lot about the movement, and they started talking to me and trying to get me amped about what they’re doing — fighting against corporate greed and all that. I can agree, just like anybody else could ... I really do like the vibe of this movement.”

Contrary to the insistence of reactionaries, the occupiers’ activities appear well-coordinated.

A schedule beginning at 8:30 a.m. and ending at 8:30 p.m. divides each day into a series of marches, committee meetings and meals culminating in the General Assembly in the evening.

The scale and sophistication of the operations at Kerr Park in general has advanced significantly over the past two weeks. Food, permits, portable toilets and other necessities are funded by donations from protesters and the public.

One unidentified donor provided a 7-foot-tall propane heater.

“It’s all business during the day, then at night you get a chance to really bond with people,” said demonstrator Rayna Stem, who is among those occupying the park overnight. “We’re still getting organized; that’s the big thing right now.”

Though conversation and debate at Kerr Park is generally congenial and relaxed, some protesters seem increasingly conscious of the existence of conflicting political philosophies within the movement.

Thus far, Occupy Wall Street has sought to be entirely inclusive, often treating fundamental political disagreements as superficial and irrelevant.

The mainstream journalistic establishment has similarly chosen to portray protesters as ideologically homogeneous.

“You cannot form your opinion of this movement from what you see on CNN or Fox News,” said politically conservative demonstrator Bryon Springer, also among those staying overnight. “Everyone tries to paint the movement with one very broad brush, and it’s not that simple. Everyone is down here for their own personal reasons.”

Occupy Oklahoma seems to be largely composed of reformist liberals — who favor greater regulation of business by the state — and capitalist libertarians — who favor complete deregulation in order to create a “true free market.”

“I’m here as a [capitalist] libertarian, and I might talk to a socialist,” said Ron Paul supporter Patrick LaMascus, a member of Occupy Norman visiting the Kerr Park encampment last Friday. “It’s actually beautiful that you can have two people from opposite ends of the spectrum agreeing on something, but we’re agreeing on what’s bad; we’re not necessarily agreeing on how to fix it.”

The Occupy movement is in a protean phase, and whatever set of philosophies comes to dominate it during the next few months will determine the impact of the movement on the conditions of American workers for years to come.

Oklahomans who have any opinion regarding how conditions in this country could be changed for the better have a responsibility to participate in their nearest General Assembly, particularly during this formative stage.

Zac Smith is a journalism junior.