Members of the Occupy movement are finalizing plans for a scheduled demonstration Jan. 2 at the Rose Parade in Pasadena.
The movement’s latest plans were announced in November and could bring anywhere from 4,000 to 40,000 protesters to the highly attended and viewed event.
There are four phases to the demonstration, as is described on the Occupy the Rose Parade website.
The first phase starts the day before the parade at an event, coined by some as the Dawning of the Age of Aquarius, in All Saints Church in Pasadena. The event is part celebration, part forum on economic and social justice.
The second phase will take place at Norton Simon Museum, located on the parade’s main drag, where protesters are expected to display signs.
The demonstrators are planning to form a human float in the shape of an octopus for the third phase, and are expected to trail the final parade float down Colorado Boulevard. The octopus is meant to represent the hold corporations have on the country.
“The last float in the parade is number 43,” said Occupy protester Pete Thottam in a past interview. “We’re going to be float number 44, which coincidentally is the Obama Administration’s float number.”
The Occupiers plan to gather for a pow wow in the final phase of the event, which may include a press conference at Pasadena City Hall and a subsequent music concert.
Though demonstrators maintain they have planned a peaceful protest, the Pasadena Police Department is expected to beef up security at the event. They plan to have helicopters flying above the parade route and to employ an armored vehicle during the parade.
The Rose Parade is watched by an estimated 47 million Americans on TV, in addition to several million international viewers. The theme for its 123rd year is "Just Imagine..."
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