Dan Phillips stood urging drivers on Pacheco Boulevard Monday morning to honk in support of his Occupy Martinez demonstration. Some did. Others offered a well-known finger instead.
But Phillips and the six other Occupy Martinez protesters who gathered in front fo the Shell Refinery were undaunted by the people who expressed anger at their presence. Phillips said just getting the issues out there was the point of the protest.
"It's fine if there are people who are not for us," he said. "Our messages are getting through to every car. We want to encourage this conversation."
Phillips said the group was focusing on four main messages. Those messages include:
1. Government and big business "being in bed together," Phillips said. "At a time when big business should be held more accountable, they're being held less accountable."
2. Corrupt politicians.
3. Greedy CEO's "who make way too much money."
4. Bankers.
Though the group on Monday was small, Phillips said he hopes the Martinez movement will gain momentum and grow into something resembling the Occupy movements in Oakland and Berkeley.
"We're not certain about our next steps," he said. "We may apply to the city for a camp site. We'll see if the city will give us a legal place to do it."
