'Occupy the Highway' Protestors Arrive in Old Town

Local supporters of the “Occupy Wall Street” movement and its regional affiliates joined a small group of demonstrators marching from Richmond to Washington as they protested Tuesday at Market Square in Old Town.

About a dozen demonstrators unfurled banners and chatted with supporters and the occasional passer-by despite steady rain. Four of the protestors have walked all the way from Richmond in an “Occupy the Highway” march.

The demonstrators are walking to Washington, where they had planned to protest federal budget cuts by the so-called congressional “super committee” on Wednesday, although the committee has since announced it could not reach a deal. Later Tuesday, the group plans to march the last nine miles of their journey to McPherson Square.

Zach Lewis of Richmond, a member of Occupy Richmond, said Old Town Alexandria seemed an appropriate place to stop before reaching Washington.

“It’s a good location for it,” he said. “It’s very close to D.C.”

Lewis said the group aimed to “spread the word about economic inequality and human rights injustices, and just trying to make the world a better place.”

Nick Burns of Alexandria was of several local supporters who came to join Tuesday’s protest.

“I’m angry,” Burns said. “I’m just kind of fed up with the status quo. It just seems like our elected officials aren’t listening to us. Big corporations seem to kind of dictate policy.

“It seems that our elected officials are more worried about getting re-elected. That requires a great deal of money, so big money gets involved and it just seems like the voice of the average citizen is lost.”

Anne Meador of Arlington, who has attended some local protests, dropped by to offer encouragement.

“We had a big financial collapse three years ago, and there’s really been no accountability, there’s been no public outcry, and I think it could all happen again,” she said. “Inequality hurts everybody, including the top 1 percent, so I think we have to do something about it.”

Chrisi West of Kingstown stopped by briefly to speak with protestors and offer them some granola bars.

“I wanted to show my support and see what was going on,” she said. “… I think more people are going to start coming out if there continues to be the pushback that there is from officials and law enforcement.”

Also joining Tuesday’s protest was David Jameson of Fairfax, who has participated in Occupy D.C. and Occupy NOVA protests.

“I realized that people got tired of just sitting back and letting banks and corporations control the money,” Jameson said. “I came out with this group to establish a non-violent protest and to make a stand, which I think is a good idea, to show they don’t like what’s going on. They’re not going to take it anymore.”

The city of Alexandria provided extra police officers to secure the perimeter of the protest site, although exchanges between officers and protesters appeared friendly. The city released the following statement:

“Alexandria supports the constitutional rights of the Occupy movement to peacefully assemble and demonstrate in market square on Tuesday. Alexandria police will protect the public and property of Alexandria as well as protect the rights of demonstrates to assemble and demonstrate.”

The group started the march in Richmond Nov. 16 and have been tweeting their journey at @RVAmarch2DC.