Elmont resident marches with Occupy Wall Street

On Oct. 15, nearly 10,000 marched with Occupy Wall Street in New York City.

Jon Lurie/Herald

Around 5 p.m. on Oct. 15, Occupy Wall Street grew to nearly 10,000 and marched into Times Square.

Jon Lurie/Herald

Mimi Pierre-Johnson, front, left, marched with Occupy Wall Street on Oct. 5.

Courtesy Mimi Pierre-Johnson

While protesting with Occupy Wall Street on Oct. 5, Mimi Pierre-Johnson got the opportunity to speak on Rev. Al Sharpton's radio broadcast, live at Zuccotti Park.

Courtesy Mimi Pierre-Johnson

On Oct. 5, Elmont resident Mimi Pierre-Johnson marched with Occupy Wall Street in New York City.

Courtesy Mimi Pierre-Johnson

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Occupy Wall Street, an ongoing series of demonstrations that began on Sept. 17, is based in New York City’s Zuccotti Park, and has grown to include nearly 1,000 protests in more than 80 countries, has a local following.

OWS protesters have spoken out against the global financial system, corporate greed, government cutbacks and the global jobs crisis. During the early hours of Oct. 15, protesters marched to a Chase bank branch in New York City to denounce corporate greed and, around 5 p.m., the group grew to nearly 10,000 and marched into Times Square.

Mimi Pierre-Johnson, an Elmont resident, marched with protesters on Oct. 5, in support of teachers and other union workers throughout Long Island and New York who have lost their jobs, and to denounce bad-banking practices that have hurt the nation’s housing industry, she said.

An ex-employee for a real-estate firm and on the verge of home foreclosure, Pierre-Johnson knows all too well about the declining housing market.

“The frustrating factor is that there is a sector of our society that still are not affected by the middle-class losing their jobs and homes, and don’t seem to care,” said Pierre-Johnson, a member of New York Communities for Change, a coalition focused on fighting for social and economic justice for in-need families throughout New York.

“During my time working with NYCC, I’ve watched community after community transform from vibrant neighborhoods to abandoned communities with boarded-up homes,”Pierre-Johnson said. “Young adults coming back home with degrees but can’t find a job worth their diplomas, students having to give up living on campus ... seniors that have lost there pensions and returned to work for themselves or to help their children in their golden years — these are the people you will find at Occupy Wall Street.”

While protesting with OWS more than a week ago, Pierre-Johnson was given the opportunity to speak on Rev. Al Sharpton’s radio broadcast, live at Zuccotti Park.

Check back for updates to this story. Comments about it? Want to share your protesting experiences with the Herald? JNash@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 214.