Kentuckians bring Occupy message to commonwealth

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Small but dedicated bands of protestors have set up in cities around Kentucky to bring the Occupy Wall Street message to the Bluegrass state.

Many of the demonstrators have put up camps and are staying overnight like the activists who descended on Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan to call attention to income inequality and policies they say favor the wealthy over the poor.

Protestors have staked out spots in Louisville and Lexington as well as smaller cities like Ashland, Paducah, Owensboro and Bowling Green in recent weeks.

"I heard about New York and really wanted to be there, but there was no way I could put everything down and go," said 27-year-old Jennifer Potter, who organized Occupy Ashland along with a friend.

Potter said her main concern is "getting money out of politics." She and other protestors have been demonstrating at Ashland's Judd Plaza since last month, and Potter said she spent about two and a half weeks staying overnight.

Many of the small Kentucky movements have set up websites and joined with other activists to protest issues in Kentucky. Occupy Louisville activists joined the Sierra Club and local environmental activists Thursday at the LG&E billing center downtown to protest the company's recent rate hikes.