(VIDEO) Ellison: Many see American Dream slipping from their grasp

U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, who appeared at the Occupy MN protest in Minneapolis over the holiday weekend, advised public officials to respect the autonomy of the Occupy Wall Street movement.

“I encourage members of the progressive caucus or any public official or any public figure, don’t try to inject yourself into this,” Ellison said on MSNBC over the weekend. “Show up and support it, if people want you speak—speak—but respect the fact that this is a citizen thing.”

Ellison said he’s convinced the Minneapolis occupations are peaceful, and that people are rightly concerned about predatory banks, unemployment and the “expanding wealth gap.”

“It’s deeper than a bill, and it’s deeper than what party’s in the majority,” Ellison said. “There is a growing sense among many Americans that the American dream is getting out of their grasp.”