Though we may not have seen the Occupy Grand Rapids group downtown recently, members say they are still meeting and will be out in full force this summer.

On Saturday, the group gathered at Monument Park in the city for their first rally of 2012. An open mic session allowed visitors a chance to speak out. Members say the next few months will be spent planning to re-occupy downtown, beginning on July 4.

“I definitely do think this will be something that will keep going,” said Alex Beecroft, 19, of Grand Rapids, Mich. “We’re all in this together.”

The Grand Rapids group formed last fall in response to the Occupy Wall Street movement that began in Manhattan to protest corporate greed and a growing income gap across the country.

In Grand Rapids, members camped out for months at various locations around downtown. They ceased that practice early this year after cold weather settled in, but plan to reoccupy in July. They’re still looking for a location, Beecroft said.

While many local “occupy” groups around the country have disbanded, the Grand Rapids clique has stayed strong — in part because members have worked through their differences peacefully, Beecroft said.

Many think members of a group must have similar viewpoints and interests to succeed and accomplish anything together, Beecroft said. “Occupy demonstrates how that’s not true.”

“A real movement can really encompass anyone and everyone,” he said.

Matthew Judge, a longtime Occupy Grand Rapids member, held several small-group gatherings Saturday afternoon at Monument Park. He talked about foreclosure resistance and workers’ rights.

If anything, Judge said, the larger group now has a stronger organizational structure. Though participation numbers may have gone down through the winter, “we have a better process.”