Protestors held signs decrying government spending, illegal immigration and a host of other issues.
"I’m not happy with the Democrats or the Republicans,” said Lorraine Conley of Pauls Valley. "They don’t care about the average working person.”
Conley said she and her husband both work for the U.S. Postal Service, and live on a budget, like most Americans.
"If we’re struggling financially as a family, we don’t spend more money,” Conley said. "It’s about spending money we don’t have, and our children and grandchildren won’t be able to pay the debt.”
The tea party movement is a national effort aimed primarily at sending a message to federal lawmakers to stop excessive spending. Organizers named the protests for the Boston Tea Party, in which American colonists protested the British tea tax.
Those attending Saturday were unhappy about a range of issues.
Ben Fowler of Del City blamed President Barack Obama for what he called socialism.
"It’s not an American value. This man is trying to control everything in our lives,” Fowler said.
Several protestors, who didn’t want to give their names, said they believe Obama was born in Kenya and is not an American citizen, a theory that has been debunked before.
Keith Gaddie, a political science professor and government expert at the University of Oklahoma, said the tea party movement has appealed to a broad range of people upset with the government. But he said some taking part in the protests misuse terms such as socialism.
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