Today, marks the one-year anniversary of the Occupy movement.

Sometimes its hard for me to believe that only a year has passed, given the way that Occupy has seeped itself into the popular imagination. The infamous Guy Fawkes mask and phrases like “We Are the 99 Percent” are instantly recognized around the world.

It has also changed the face of social activism — it is a force to be reckoned with no matter what sort of organizing one is doing. The movement has brought together people of different races, genders, ages and sexualities, with very different socioeconomic, political, and geographical backgrounds, and united them under the common banner of “Occupy.” Not bad for only a year.

However, the response I’ve gotten lately when talking to those less involved in the movement is, invariably, “What’s going on with Occupy anyway?” Or even better, “Is Occupy still happening?”

True, the encampments ended long ago, broken up by a concerted top-down effort, and media coverage has been usually absent or dismal. But just because you might not see tents in your public park, and you likely won’t even hear about us in the news, does not mean the movement is even close to winding down.

Foreclosure support has been high on the agenda for Occupiers around the country, and Occupy Maine Bath/Brunswick is no exception. Four years after the housing bubble burst, millions of individuals and families are still losing their homes to the banks due to an inability to find work and make ends meet (this despite record profits for many large corporations).

Occupy Our Homes has been working tirelessly around the country to physically occupy houses being threatened with foreclosure, forcing the banks to renegotiate. There have been several success stories — real-life David and Goliath tales — that I know inspire me to keep working even when the odds seem stacked.

This is not only an issue for Minneapolis, Atlanta, or Chicago, however. In Maine there are more than 2,264 homes currently in the process of foreclosure, including 74 in Sagadahoc County and 463 in Cumberland County.

Bowdoinham resident Tim Cason was recently evicted from his home and workshop of 19 years, forcibly removed and arrested by sheriff ’s deputies, despite possessing evidence that the bank had no legal right to foreclose (having sold the original promissory note to a larger bank), and 160 signatures opposing the foreclosure.

Right here in Topsham, resident Susan Chandel is fighting the foreclosure of her home of 12 years, after losing her employment and applying for disability. Rather than occupy her home with people, she has chosen to “Occupy By Art,” turning her Middlesex Road home into an art gallery and community space.

In addition to foreclosure support, Occupy has also worked closely with “Move to Amend,” a campaign aimed at overturning Citizens United and abolishing corporate personhood (www.movetoamend.org). Six states have already called for a constitutional amendment, and Maine could be the next with six towns, including Portland, already passing resolutions.

Occupy Maine Bath/Brunswick has been hard at work gathering signatures to present a similar resolution to the Brunswick Town Council, after already passing one in Arrowsic.

Occupiers around the country, and right here in the Mid-coast have been organizing to educate themselves and others on the problems generated by gross inequality, and have been actively searching for and implementing solutions to those problems.

I’ve heard activists say its given them a voice and hope for the future, and older ones say it’s the most exciting movement they’ve seen in their lifetimes.

So I would invite you — next time you wonder aloud “What is Occupy doing these days?” — instead ask yourself “What am ‘I’ doing?” and consider coming to a general assembly (held at 11 Pleasant St. in Brunswick every Saturday at noon). There’s a lot of work to be done, and there’s strengths in numbers. We hope to see you there.

Stephanie Boucher

Occupy Maine Bath/Brunswick