Outside the Miami-Dade Government Center, where county commissioners regularly pass laws, more than 50 people — from college students to middle-aged parents — sat in a circle Sunday, trying to establish their own set of rules.

How would they respond if confronted by police? Should they accept monetary donations, or would it compromise their case against big business? Would they recycle?

They gathered in downtown Miami for the second day of the Occupy Miami movement. Fourteen canvas tents on a grassy plaza at the rear of the center now house “occupiers” who hope to copy the month-old Occupy Wall Street movement . The New York City protest started on Sept. 17, and has since spread around the country and the globe with protesters decrying everything from large corporations to high unemployment and debt.

While Saturday’s first day of protests brought an estimated 1,000 people to downtown Miami to march from Bayside Park to the Government Center and almost 300 to a march in downtown Fort Lauderdale, the second day was a subdued affair under gloomy, rainy skies, with supporters mainly meeting to establish guidelines for their Miami encampment.

Recyclables should be placed in white bags, night guards will patrol the area wearing yellow arm bands and the use of drugs is not permitted, the group decided.

“We have to be conscious that we are a peaceful movement,” JoHanna Thompson shouted to the crowd. “We have to respect everyone around us and show them love.”

While Thompson, a single mother of two daughters, is not sleeping overnight at the tent city, she regularly attended the meetings that resulted in the Miami protest. She said she felt compelled to participate for reasons from that include unemployment to concerns about the quality of education her daughters are receiving.

Two years ago, Thompson, 38, was laid off from her sales job with a California-based pharmaceutical company. Despite having a master’s degree in public administration in New York University, Thompson has struggled to find a permanent job, and has tapped into her savings to keep her family afloat. Friends and family members have provided financial assistance, and her daughters receive free, federally subsidized lunches at their schools.

“I went to school like I was told, went to graduate school, I did all of that,” Thompson said. “But right now, in this economy, we’re all here on the same page. The person who graduated from a prestigious school is feeling the same struggle as the person who graduated from the school of hard knocks. We all want the same thing — to work.”

Protected from the rain by a clear plastic poncho, Thompson said she hopes South Florida’s elected leaders will take visit the encampment and hear the concerns of the occupiers.

“We’re not just setting up tents here to be annoying. We’re here responding to the call that elected leaders often make calling for more civic engagement,” Thompson said. “Well, we’re here.”

There have been no incidents at the Miami protest, but those on hand are mindful of the arrests and scuffles that have marked protests in other cities. On Sunday, 175 were arrested in Chicago, 53 in Tuscon, Ariz., and scores more in New York City.

How long the group will be allowed to stay at the Government Center remains to be seen. Protesters acknowledge they are on the premises without a permit, but say they are protected by the constitutional right of free assembly and their First Amendment right to freedom of speech. They plan to move their camp elsewhere, perhaps to Bayfront Park, if they are removed from the government center.

Organizers have taken cues from the Wall Street group — establishing a committee system to address everything from camp security to public outreach. Decisions are made based on consensus — they express their support for a proposal by wiggling their fingers in the air, discontent by crossing their arms into an X. The group is relying on social media like Facebook and Twitter to recruit more supporters, and has started live-streaming its meetings and life at the camp through the UStream website, www.ustream.tv.

“We’re living in a new era where you can protest physically and online,” said Mario Kenny, a professional costume designer who blogs about foreclosure issues in his spare time.

Kenny almost lost his home to foreclosure two years ago, but said he was able to fight in court to keep the property. Still, the threat of losing his Miami home prompted Kenny to start his blog, and now to support the Occupy Miami movement.

He does not plan to spend his nights at the camp, but said he plans to bring a lawyer friend to educate the group about housing issues.

“I came today because this movement is speaking up about all things I always thought, but never felt I could do something about it on my own,” said Kenny, 56. “Some might say this will fizzle out. I disagree .. . people like me now realize we are not alone.”