US Occupy protesters are preparing for a showdown with authorities as they are set to stage nationwide rallies in front of more than 120 federal courthouses.
A judge in New York has turned down a request by "Occupy the Courts" group for a permit to hold protests outside the city's courthouse in Manhattan.
The protesters, however, say they will turn out for the rally in surrounding streets which are not a federal property.
Organizers say the nationwide rallies are aimed at denouncing a 2010 Supreme Court decision that made it easier for corporations to spend money in election campaigns.
They say this forces officials to put the interests of the society's wealthiest one percent before the other 99 percent.
In an interview with Press TV, Kathy McConaghie, American political activist from Texas, elaborates on the Occupy Wall Street movement underway in the US.
Press TV: The civil disobedience action at the Supreme court is being planned for Friday by the Occupiers. So far, the movement has failed to get any response from politicians at the Capitol, so would this Friday be any different?
McConaghie: As to getting a response from the politicians, I do not think it will be any different. I do not think that that is what the occupiers are really looking to do. Nobody at this point thinks -- when they are up against barricades and ropes and not even allowed to step on to their Capitol or onto Federal Court House property -- that they are going to have their lawmakers coming out and speaking with them. At this point, what we are doing is trying to get the attention of other Americans.
Press TV: Right then, what would you say to those that, after looking at the recent news coming out of the Occupy movement that we are seeing more evictions and more arrests, they just say the movement is stagnating. How would you respond to that?
McConaghie: I would respond that I am in contact every day with people who are working on Occupy all over the country and they have planned massive actions for Spring, especially, when weather improves, and they are also busy organizing and coming up with different ways to go forward. One has to realize that the authoritarian response that we have seen here in this country has kind of set us back on our heels and made us take a look at how we need to deal with this and we realized that we need massive numbers of people to deal with it.
It is not about tents and it is not about people on the streets; it is about people waking up and joining us and that is what we are working on right now.
Press TV: The movement continues to come up with new ways to bring attention to the grievances faced by many if not most Americans. What more can we expect in the coming weeks and months from this movement?
McConaghie: We have 'Occupy Congress' that has been going on all week in DC; we have 'Occupy the Courts' tomorrow. There is a massive action planned, hopefully if weather permits, in San Francisco tomorrow which is 'Occupy the Banks' and focuses on foreclosures and other issues surrounding the banks and what they have done in our country. We also have 'Occupy DC', has started something called 'DC Now' and 'OWS': the original people in New York are also working on major actions coming up.
What is being worked on really is occupiers are branching out to neighborhoods and neighborhoods are starting to come into the groups and figure out what we need to do to help each other and to unite and it is not something that is easy or quick to come about but it will come about.
