West Coast-based journalist/activist Jonah Raskin reports on the first day of Occupy Austin, where “1,500 youthful demonstrators, aging protesters, and ageless rabble-rousers” gathered outside Austin City Hall to voice their anger about Wall Street greed and a variety of social and political issues. Pointing out that Austin has a “long history of radicalism,” and countercultural activity, Raskin says Occupy Austin “had some of the flavor of a 1960s protest.” One 22-year-old woman — who carried a sign saying “Wake Up, Austin” — said she had given up on her generation until the recent Occupy Wall street protests but now had a renewed sense of hope about the future. This post includes a gallery of photos from the event.