Roger Forest is standing firm in Parade Square in Halifax. As the second day of Occupy Nova Scotia draws to a close, he's not budging - he's barely moving a muscle. In fact, when I first see Forest amongst the tents and protest signs, I think he's a statue.
Forest, aka Granite Man, makes his living as a street performer and has never taken part in a protest before. Last night, however, he joined dozens of people, mostly youth, who pitched their tents in Parade square in downtown Halifax. "I'm going to stay here till the end," he says.
When asked why he has chosen to join the movement that started on Wall Street and has spread to cities around the world, Forest says simply, "It's our future."
"Enough is enough with corporate greed, drilling oil, stealing tax payer dollars," says Forest. "Everything is out of control."
Forest worked in the oil fields in Alberta for 12 years before he became a street performer. "I had a huge bank account, lots of money, and was miserable."
"I knew I was contributing to the destruction of this Earth," says Forest, describing all the chemicals and toxins he pumped into the ground to get oil and gas out. "It's just so friggn wrong."
Forest is splitting the donations he gets for his performances 50/50 with Occupy Nova Scotia.
"It's about happiness, it's not about money," he says.
His sentiment is shared by Lianne Lessard who just pitched her tent and is also new to activism. "People strive to have a certain kind of house…and because they're concentrating on material value they don't notice the people suffering around them," she says.
Lessard is working to pay off her student debt and says she's living on less money than she ever has before. "Poverty is never anyone's choice," she says.
Lessard says she likes the atmosphere in Parade Square. Free food is being offered, people are playing music, and discussion groups on capitalism and media are taking place on patches of grass around the site.
"We all feel pretty alone in our opinions sometimes," says Lessard who feels a sense of community in Parade Square.
"I'm going to stay here as long as I can," she says.
