Occupy Congress, a national group partnering with Occupy DC for a major protest this month, is slowly moving forward in its efforts to aquire a permit for the protest.
The group has scheduled a meeting Thursday with the National Parks Service to discuss getting a permit that would allow up to 10,000 people to protest outside the Capitol on Jan. 17.
Participant Mario Lozada said protesters are trying to avoid the mass arrests that Occupy DC endured in early December during a week of similar protests with the labor union-backed group Take Back the Capitol.
Lozada said protesters will ask for permission to set up "basic soundsystems" and portable toilets outside the Capitol on Jan. 17, the day Congress is scheduled to return to work. They're also need to work out a route for the march.
Still, Occupy Congress plans to stage the protest, which is expected to draw about 2,000, with or without a permit.
"Permit or not, it's happening and it's going to be big," Lozada said.
