RALEIGH — tmcdonald@newsobserver.com

Occupy Raleigh left downtown weeks ago only to re-emerge with more partners in their quest to influence social and economic change.

“Occupy Raleigh is still very much alive and well,” said Stacie Borrello, one of the group’s organizers. “We decided to close the encampment and work to affect change in other ways.”

Instead of homesteading near the State Capitol grounds while holding aloft signs protesting the economic resources being held by a minuscule percentage of the population, many of Occupy Raleigh’s members are now working with the Raleigh Action Collective, or On TRAC N.C. The collective has aligned itself with nearly 20 organizations that participated in a community fair Saturday at the Bicentennial Mall in downtown Raleigh.

The overarching theme of the day was a pending resolution that nearly 10 of those organizations, including Democracy N.C. and the state AFL-CIO, will present Tuesday night to the Raleigh City Council. The organizations are lobbying the City Council to support a Constitutional amendment that would put a stop to anonymous or unlimited political donations.

“The thing that everyone was talking about was corporate money in politics and how it’s used to influence politics in their favor with no regard to citizens,” said Borrello, who is now working closely with TRAC. “Policies, like less government regulation and more tax breaks negatively impact communities.”

The fair’s supporters say the event was an opportunity to promote awareness, raise their profile and encourage fairgoers to volunteer in the fight for economic justice, social equality, protecting the environment, access to health care and worker’s rights.

“It’s important to have a single place where people can come to get support and to give support and otherwise build a more equal society,” said Bryan Conlon, a volunteer with Triangle Jobs with Justice in Durham.

The event began at 11 a.m. and ended by 3 p.m. It was attended by about 60 people who browsed information at tables that lined a section of sidewalk in front of the N.C. Museum of Science.

The information browsing had a musical accompaniment provided by area musicians, including the Raging Grannies, a female singing group whose original songs highlight social and economic injustice along with topical issues like fracking and immigration.

Ron Caputo, a union organizer with the AFL-CIO, was among the last to leave the fair as he helped to load equipment onto the bed of a pickup truck.

“It’s all about supporting each other,” he said.

McDonald: (919) 829-4533