The occupiers – a term he prefers instead of "protesters" – aren't leaving anytime soon, the group is vowing to stick it out as long as possible.

"I'm currently unemployed and loving what I'm doing," Leigh said. "I'm going to stay here until the end."

They have been there since Saturday, sleeping on cardboard boxes, eating pizza and take-out dinners that were paid for by donations to their cause. There are only about 200 of them left now, though they started out 1,500 strong.

When asked what they are fighting, they gave a variety of responses ranging from Wall Street to global warming. On its website, the group proclaims: "We, the people of the United States of America, considering the crisis at hand, now reassert our sovereign control of our land."

Every afternoon, the group convenes at the center of the plaza for what they call a "General Assembly," a meeting during which they map out their tactics for the next day. Forbidden from using a microphone – they don't have the proper permits – the group got creative.

"What we do is a people's microphone," Reed said. "So the person who's speaking says a couple of words and then the whole crowd repeats it so everyone can hear. It's actually beautiful."

For Reed, at least, an ideal outcome for the situation would be a near-shutdown of Wall Street, with protesters descending upon Wall Street and preventing bankers from getting to their desks. But he realizes that may not happen anytime soon – particularly not before he returns to class next week.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/21/occupy-wall-street-protest_n_974693.html