Barely a week old, the Occupy Vegas movement took to the streets of Sands Boulevard Tuesday afternoon to protest the Western Republican GOP debate. When I had first arrived at press check-in, it looked mostly like a gathering of the local SEIU chapter, but when I saw Slate reporter Dave Weigel in the mix of protesters, I figured I should also check out the local color (mostly union purple and gold, for those of you at home keeping score).
I did manage to find a handful of people that were not associated with the SEIU chapter. Howard, from Las Vegas, was there with his family to protest against big business. I asked him if he felt the media’s portrayal of the Occupy movement being related to the Tea Party was a fair comparison. He stated, “The Tea Party is a very different movement. I think that they’re against the bailouts for the big banks and the financial industry. That may be where we have common ground, but other than that, there is no common ground.”
With over 700 arrests at one protest in New York, I think most Tea Partiers would agree.
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