VIDEO: Watch a live stream of the protest here.

A local offshoot of the Occupy Wall Street movement began at noon today in Hemming Plaza, with about 100 protestors.

Occupy Jacksonville is self-described as "protesting corporate greed and corruption, the fact that the 1% (billionaires) are buying our politicians, and we are showing solidarity to our brothers and sisters at Occupy Wall Street."

Jacksonville Councilman Don Redman arrived at noon too, and called police to inquire whether the group had a permit. There were no Jacksonville Sheriff's Office personnel on scene at the time.

Redman, who is on the board of directors of Downtown Vision Inc., told the group that police won't get involved as long as the protest stays peaceful.

By 1:30 p.m., more than 200 people were in the plaza, although crowd estimates varied, and more than a dozen people spoke, using a call-and-response with the crowd repeating the speakers to ensure they were heard.

"We are the 99 percent," said one speaker, "but we enrich the 1 percent. We empower the 1 percent."

Other popular messages: voting out incumbents, fighting for freedom and boycotting major corporations and banks. Demographics of participants are diverse in race, age and attire, with many wearing jeans and t-shirts and others donning suits.

The Occupy Wall Street protest began on Sept. 17 and has spurred supporting demonstrations nationwide, including Jacksonville's. The New York protesters are maintaining a live stream of their event.

Come back to Jacksonville.com this afternoon for updates on the downtown Jacksonville event, and follow live Twitter updates here.

 
Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/florida/2011-10-08/story/live-video-oc...