A woman identified as a native of Mountain Home has become an icon of the Occupy movement thanks to a dramatic photo and video of her getting a full face of pepper spray in an Occupy Portland demonstration Nov. 17. Liz Nichols, 20, who’s been living in the Pacific Northwest for a couple of months, was charged with second-degree trespassing. The police and protesters came into conflict on the streets of Portland after an effort to occupy a bank. The Atlantic Wire later talked to Nichols’ mother, Annie. The Wire reported:
“Annie, who is housebound with multiple sclerosis, said Elizabeth joined Occupy Wall Street because of her parents’ dire situation. ‘I have no medical care. I’m not eligible. My husband’s disabled … We live on one disability check. No, we don’t live. We exist. Lizzie knows this. That’s why she’s doing this.’ Elizabeth … wasn’t always an activist, Annie said. ‘She never took part in anything like this. Of course, it’s Arkansas. There isn’t a lot of that here.’ “