Not long after Occupy Portland was cleared from its original encampments, and fences were put up around Chapman and Lownsdale Squares and Terry Schrunk Plaza, the movement started having its Sunday general assembly meetings over in the somewhat covered and uncrowded expanse of Director Park.
That never really sat well with some folks in the Parks Bureau, who felt like they were put in a tough spot because Occupy was gathering in the park without getting a permit. But amid the winter chill and the spring rain, it wasn’t much of an issue. That’s changed now that summer is dawning. A city letter asking the group to clear out for the “busy summer season,’ unless they pay for a permit, has gone up on Occupy’s Facebook page.
June 15, 2012
Dear Occupy Portland,
As a courtesy to Occupy Portland, we wanted to contact you as the busy summer season
approaches Director Park.Director Park is a heavily used site in the summer months and we want to give you notice
that effective June 15 2012, Occupy Portland will no longer be allowed to hold the General
Assembly meetings or other Occupy Portland related events in Director Park without a
permit.Since late November 2011, Occupy Portland has held a variety of unpermitted meetings and
events in Director Park. During that time, Director Park has fielded several complaints
regarding the unpermitted use of the park while other groups are required to obtain permits
for similar park use. Standard permit requirements are triggered depending on use of
amplification, setting up of various structures (including tables, tents and the like), and
attendance numbers.To obtain a permit, please contact Alicia Hammock, the Arts & Cultural Coordinator for
Director Park at 503.823.8087 or by email at DirectorPark@PortlandOregon.gov. Regular
rental rates and regulations will apply. To assist you with the permit process, we have
attached the Rental & Event Use Manual and the Director Park Rental Application.
Please let us know if you have any questions.Thank you,
Art Hendricks
Security Manager
Portland Parks & Recreation
So how’s the request being received? Hit the jump.
With a mixture of anger, joy, and resignation. With the movement spreading out into dozens of affinity groups, and maybe because of disinterest and burnout among some participants, it seems Occupy’s GA meetings haven’t been quite as, um, dynamic as they were during the apex of the camps.
Terry Schrunk Plaza, the second home of the GA meetings last fall (after the cops cleared the group from the Elk Statue on Main Street), might be the default choice. That is, if people still feel like coming.
People are burned out with the day to day aspects of the protest, BUT, The Occupy Movement is evolving from being centered around encampments to people being Minutemen. Back in the days of The American Revolutionary War, Minutemen were a group of citizen soldiers who kept themselves ready to appear without warning and within a moments notice, at any place they were needed to fight oppression.
So, now we have a new group of Minutemen.
A whole huge group of fed-up citizens that can, in massive numbers, appear at any given place and time, to protest corruption, greed and injustice, as was witnessed recently in Chicago for the NATO Summit meetings.
Is the movement fading? That’s exactly what the 1% wants YOU and the Archie Bunker types in America to think. They want you to fall for their distorted version of their truth and give up. So, don’t listen to the puppetmasters and propagandists when they say: “The Movement is dead.” Don’t be their tool. Don’t help their cause.
Occupy Wall Street @kidakita
Comparing ‘occupy’ to the Minutemen? Wow, that’s rich.
(and oh gee, thanks for the history lesson we all knew already. Condescension always helps sway folks, right?)
By the lack of interest in this post, even here in this (thankfully) liberal local rag, I’d have to say ‘occupy’ is finally fading away. Good.
Frankieb, the only thing they appear to do is self promotion. It really should not surprise you what they will reach for. Of course, someone will appear and say the previous poster does not speak for Occupy. Sorry, never got a program to differentiate whom is whom.