On October 10th, 2011, the first “Occupy Wall Street” demonstration was held in front of the Oakland City Hall, the start of a protest encampment that lasted for exactly five weeks. I photographed it almost daily during its short, turbulent, but politically significant existence.

These photographs are a personal look at the people and the evolution of their politics and their activities with a particular focus on their messages as they evolved in their slogans and their signs. All were taken during daylight hours, noon to late afternoon (I'm too old to be bumping elbows and heads in the middle of a fight), so you won't see the more dramatic images taken by others who've added to the Occupy archives.