Parallel actions inspired by New York City’s “Occupy Wall Street” continue to spring up across the United States. As of Friday morning, the website “Occupy Together,” a hub for nationwide events in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street, reported gatherings in 847 cities. On Thursday, activists kicked off the “October 2011” protest by occupying Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C.

Lydia, Protester: “We need to stop investing in privatization. We need to start worrying about the 99 percent of the population. We need to start investing our money into social welfare programs and worrying about the middle to lower class, because we are not truly a great nation until all of us are strong and all of us are prospering.”

Marilee Eusebio: “Well, I’m so appalled at the lies that go on at every level, and this was something I could do. Some of my friends say that it’s just a replay of what we did during Vietnam. But, you know, that did have some effect, and I’m really hopeful that this and the people at Wall Street, that this will actually move us to do something.”

As in New York City, demonstrators have come to D.C. from across the country, and some are taking part in their first-ever political demonstration. One woman who traveled from Kansas held a sign that read: “Lost my job, found an occupation.”