Oregon Public Broadcasting

Two protest groups converged in downtown Portland yesterday to protest the war in Afghanistan.

Anti-war organizers joined forces with Occupy Portland, a group that's been camped out in neighboring downtown parks for  over a week, protesting corporate influence in politics.

The march picked up steam, adding hundreds of people who haven’t been staying at the downtown protest site this week. Amy Warren says family and work commitments prevent her from camping with the group.

"I would like to show my support for a movement that's trying to change some very flawed aspects of our society. I can't live here, so I come here when I can."

Warren and other protesters were mindful of the turn similar events have taken other cities: arrests in Denver, rioting in Rome. So far only eight people have been arrested in Portland, for trying to maintain a roadblock on Main Street.

Ultimately, the group’s numbers swelled well beyond the several hundred taking part in Occupy Portland. The event was described by police as peaceful.