Alex Recinos (Tori Youngblood/Neon Tommy)

“That’s what we’re here for, to wake the masses up,” Recinos said.

Originally from El Salvador, Recinos came to the United States with his mother in 1979 and has lived in different parts of California ever since. His time in the U.S. has been a mixture of economical hardship, personal sacrifice and political upheaval.

When he was 9 years old, he said he and his mother were arrested while crossing the border in the hopes of establishing a better life. As an adult, he said he has lost both his home and his work. He said that being a part of the Occupy L.A. movement in downtown Los Angeles, however, has given him the hope of bettering other people's lives by making them aware of the issues he finds most important. 

“The reason I am here is for social injustice," he said. "Basically, Occupy is a lot of things. It is what you want it to be. Religion, education, it's everything you’ve learned."

Looking around Pershing Square provides insight into people from all over the world, which Recinos said is one of the greatest things about the movement. Recinos said the movement began in Egypt when an ice cream salesman had his cart impounded by the police. When the police wouldn’t give him the cart back, the Egyptian man lit himself on fire, which Recinos said literally “sparked” the Occupy Wall Street movement.

Regardless of the origin of the movement, Monday marked the one year anniversary of the protesting efforts. Though the movement has instigated a large police presence, Recinos welcomed the resistance from authorities.

“When the police arrest us and deport us, it makes us stronger,” Recinos said.

Though he came to the U.S. to pursue the American dream, Recinos has since lost everything and has also withdrawn from Pasadena City College. He said he withdrew because the classes were too easy for him.

His family pressures him to find work and have a career, he said, but he is currently content with his life as an anarchist and social activist, and values his time as a contributor to the Occupy L.A. movement.

"It's an awakening of your conscience," Recinos said, and predicted Occupy L.A.'s future. "It's going to be awesome. When the time's right, you’ll be able to see a lot of cool things happen."

Read more of Neon Tommy's coverage on the Occupy movement here.

Reach Contributor Tori Youngblood here.