CHICAGO (November 21, 2011) - Two months after Occupy Wall Street set off the biggest American protest movement in decades, those folks who call themselves the 99-percenters aren't ready to relax. Far from it.

By mid-November, TV commentator Bill O'Reilly was declaring the movement "dead." So were a flock of other right-wing pundits and observers. Yet, in Chicago, as in dozens of cities across the country - and around the world - enthusiasm and support appear to be as strong as ever. Perhaps more so.

When Tirekicking Today made its first visit to the Occupy site in downtown Chicago, in the heart of the financial district, an uninformed observer might indeed wonder if the movement was fading away. As in New York and other cities where Occupy protests had sprung up, the tent-city encampment where participants could spend the night was gone. On this Monday, just four days after the Day of Action - accompanied by plenty of arrests - had made news in cities and towns across the country, barely a dozen Occupiers were in attendance at noontime.

Attendance today was "a little slack," admitted one older gentleman, whose sign, held boldly upright, warned against "Government Crimes." During the previous week's Day of Action, on the other hand, he recounted watching a couple of thousand protesters parading down LaSalle Street, adding that unlike some previous encounters, the Chicago police had exhibited welcome restraint.

As we spoke, his wife leaned steadily into the street, animatedly thrusting her sign toward drivers, urging them to "Honk To Indict Banksters." Other signs made similar pleas, and quite a few drivers complied - beeping their horns to indicate that they agreed with the message, and perhaps with the Occupy movement itself. A number of the favorably-honking motorists were taxi and bus drivers.

Mostly handwritten on cardboard or foam pads, the signs wielded by today's 99-percenter participants warned, with simple and concise messages, about a variety of related topics:
* Don't Destroy the American Dream
* Honk If You Can't Afford a Congressman
* Jobs with Justice
* Occupy Congress
* The First Amendment Is Our Permit

Though the majority of Occupiers are youthful, the "government crimes" gentleman explained, it's the older folks who are more likely to wield signs. Tradesmen turn up at the site as well. Many of them are likely to be unemployed or underemployed, but others simply wish to express solidarity with the movement and its broad-based yet succinct message.

During our extended conversation, a young fellow, evidently just passing by, asked which "government crimes" were being protested. The older gentleman and another, younger protester, launched into a rundown of such financial maneuverings as credit default swaps. We had to wonder if the young fellow might have preferred a simpler message: the primary thrust of the movement, which is that millions of regular workers, along with the poor and the rapidly-shrinking middle class, have simply "had enough" of society's infatuation with the wealthy and powerful - to the exclusion of ordinary people - and are ready to stand up and say so.

Each day, at 1:30 p.m., those protesters who are present at the site gather for a General Assembly. Just about on time, a young man stood in front of the group, indicating that he would be the moderator for today's Assembly, and introducing another young guy next to him as today's timekeeper. Rather than use a microphone and PA system, the Occupiers came up with a human-based way to make sure everyone hears what's being said. After the speaker utters a sentence, the others repeat it aloud, before the speaker goes on to his next words.

By General Assembly time, attendance had swelled to about 30. Committee Announcements came first. Evidently, a number of committees have been formed, and can report on their work at this time each day. Jill, representing a group called Direct Action, advised that on this day, at 4 p.m., there would be a rally and march to City Hall (a few blocks away), to express "solidarity with our arrestees." Marchers intended to deliver a petition to Mayor Rahm Emanuel, urging him to drop the charges against those who'd been arrested during earlier protest sessions. Jill also announced that the Occupiers planned to participate in Thursday's Thanksgiving Day parade, urging people to get there early in the morning, to secure space at the front of the curb along the parade route.

After the moderator asked if anyone had General Occupy Chicago announcements to present to the group, it was time for this day's Soapbox. As the name suggests, this is an opportunity for anyone to speak about any issue, for no more than two minutes. Go past that deadline, the moderator advised, and "you are effectively taking someone else's time."

First up was Bruce, holding a "99-percent" sign and representing a coalition of veterans' organizations. Bruce asked for a teach-in about veterans' concerns, adding that he would contact a committee to try and establish a time and place.

Nemo, today's timekeeper, spoke next. At nighttime, he explained, not a lot of people are at the protest site, which is supposed to be active 24/7. "If you can tolerate the cold" and discomfort, he said, "we'd love to have you. Unless you're going to be a bother." This closing comment served as an acknowledgment that the Occupy movement has attracted a certain number of pseudo-participants, who may pretend to support the group, but are actually there for their own reasons - whether it's to promote an unrelated cause or to try and hit up group members for money.

Debbie, the next Soapbox speaker, noted that she's in contact with the American Indian movement. "They support us," she advised. "They think it's a great idea. They just hope we do it right" and not make "stupid mistakes, like they did in 1972."

Will, visiting Chicago from Occupy Atlanta, stated that he was here today "in solidarity" with this city's Occupiers, adding that it seemed as if the various groups are "not very well connected." Will recounted how his group had been "kicked out of" a park in Atlanta. Now, they were occupying a homeless shelter, which was about to be torn down. Since so many of the 99-percenters are young, up-to-date technology is a big issue, including the use of social media. Will advised that the Atlanta group now possesses a portable wi-fi Hot Spot, to make communications easier.

Jesus, another of the young speakers, noted that this was his second day at the site. "I love it here," he said with a big smile. "I am here to help. I would like to be part of a committee, like media, taking pictures...."

Next up was the moderator, who spoke of the growing uprising in Egypt. There's "recurring harsh treatment and repression," he warned. "This is a global movement. When they hurt one of us, they hurt all of us."

Joan then announced that on the following evening, a panel discussion would take place at Northeastern Illinois University, on the north side of Chicago. Three Occupiers would be there. Joan also delivered the news that in the U.S. Congress, a Florida Democrat had introduced an "Occupied amendment," based on "campaign finance and personhood."

Adam, a member of the National Lawyers Guild who came to Chicago from the original Occupy Wall Street group in New York City, suggested that it was more difficult for protesters in the Midwest to get into the news. After announcing that the meeting was now adjourned, the moderator gave his own request for participants: "Hold a sign," he advised. "Don't just stand here. But make sure it's something you agree with."

As we were about to leave after the General Assembly, Jeff approached to explain that this was Occupy Chicago - not realizing that we'd been there on the sidewalk - watching, listening, conversing, taking photos - for some time. Jeff and his wife had been to portions of the protest where people had been arrested, he said, but they'd managed to evade such a dire consequence. During our conversation, he described a march to the "horse" statue on Chicago's Michigan Avenue, and how the marchers were not permitted to remain at that location. So, they marched to the State of Illinois building (nearly a mile away) instead. They actually got much more attention from the mainstream media at that secondary destination, than if they'd been left alone at the initial site.

Wearing a briefly worried look, Jeff expressed a concern that's been echoed by participants, observers, and supporters: What happens when the weather turns seriously cold in cities like Chicago and New York? Unlike some, he has a solution in mind. When prudence dictates a reduction in outdoor activity due to extreme weather, Occupiers could cut back on the 24/7 activity at their protest site. As a forward-thinking alternative, they could use the wintry period to consult with friends and family, think about the next steps, and prepare themselves for resuming a full-scale presence with renewed energy and enthusiasm, as spring begins to emerge.

A USA Today/Gallup poll conducted in mid-November found that 56 percent of Americans are "indifferent" to the Occupy movement. Some 31 percent expressed disapproval (up from 20 percent in October), while one in five approved of what the Occupiers are doing (down from one in four in the prior survey). Much of the criticism has centered on the lack of specific, clearly-stated goals. But that "lack" can actually be viewed as the movement's greatest strength. If they were to come up with a laundry list of specifics, each one incessantly arguable, the Occupy movement would almost certainly sink into oblivion, becoming much like a thousand others groups that advocate social justice in rigorously-defined terms.

Even if the Occupiers become less visible for a while, they're not going away. With the Republican presidential candidates striving to outdo each other every day in their draconian plans to make workers and the poor suffer, while enriching the wealthy even more, the stakes are simply too high to let opposition die.