Penn urges Obama to visit Wall Street protesters

Actor and activist Sean Penn has urged President Barack Obama to visit the Occupy Wall Street protesters in New York and take action over their concerns.

Thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets to call for equality for all and an end to corporate greed, with some setting up camp at the group's base in Zuccotti Park.

Penn is backing the rally, and he's hoping Obama personally visits the camp to meet the campaigners and discuss their issues.

Speaking on Piers Morgan Tonight, he says, "It resonates a great deal and in many ways. I applaud the spirit of what's happening now on Wall Street. I hope that increased organization can come to it.

"It's been a long time coming. And I'd like to see the President go and interact with the protesters in New York, in particular, and for this to become not just a protest dialogue, but a home to home dialogue."

Many of the activists involved in the Occupy Wall Street campaign have been left unemployed and homeless by the recession and subsequent economic downturn and the initiative has since spread to more than 70 cities across the U.S.