Occupy Vancouver considers next steps following eviction from downtown encampments
Occupy Vancouver members discussed plans today to continue daily general assembly meetings while the group determines its next steps on whether to set up another encampment.
Suresh Fernando, a member of Occupy Vancouver’s general assembly committee, told protestors at a special meeting at Grandview Park on Commercial Drive today (November 23) that “we’re obviously in a state of uncertainty”.
“We haven’t fully determined what the plan is with respect to the…occupation,” said Fernando. “But it’s essential that we continue to maintain our public space.”
He later told reporters that the plan is to hold daily general assemblies at 7 p.m. at the Vancouver Art Gallery “indefinitely”.
Occupy Vancouver participants held the meeting after an injunction drove the tent city off the courthouse grounds at Robson Square on Tuesday (November 22). A group of protestors marched to Grandview Park in East Vancouver Tuesday evening, but eventually decided to leave the site due to city bylaws restricting park hours, and after some residents expressed opposition.
Protestors suggested various potential next steps at today’s noon-hour meeting, including setting up a third encampment at a site near Glen Drive, finding someone willing to lend warehouse space in the interim, and “standing down” for a short period of time to allow participants to become efficient at erecting domes and other structures to “go mobile” with the protest.
Fernando said Occupy members will be supporting a number of direct actions in the next few days, including an “Occupy Pantages” protest next Tuesday (November 29).
“Today what’s happened is that everything about Occupy Vancouver that people have been talking about is basically the tent city issue – the bylaws, the fire bylaws…that’s been the whole story,” Fernando told reporters.
“Of course, we went there to raise awareness around… structural imbalance issues, and we want to put those on the table.”
“We’re going to create a forum, using our process of unity, our process of consensus, our facilitation model, to bring people together in public space, invite people into conversations, and try to generate unity and generate policy,” he added.
One Occupy participant announced at the meeting that earlier suggestions of plans to protest at the former Little Mountain social housing site in Mount Pleasant are “still brewing”.
Occupy Vancouver members did not formally vote at their afternoon meeting on proposals such as the suggested move to daily meetings at the art gallery or the potential third encampment site, but instead decided to put the ideas to vote at the group's 7 p.m. general assembly.
Comments
5 Comments
R U Kiddingme
Nov 23, 2011 at 9:21pm
There is much to protest about the current economic status quo, such as the assumption that everything can be cut except military expenditure and that government handouts are bad unless they are tax incentives, sports arenas or massive contracts to vote-rich states and provinces.
There is nothing that the Powers That Be would love more than for the Occupy movement to set up a hippy commune in the boonies, far away from where any work gets done, and permanent enough for the rich and aspiring rich to console themselves with the thought that the protesters are the voluntarily jobless.
I'm in the 99% and it's kind of alarming to be represented by bums.
prenup
Nov 23, 2011 at 10:55pm
Step#1 Take a shower
Step#2 Stop thinking you are owed anything
Step#3 Get a job
Step#4 if you want more work more
Thank you that is all...
Sarah Beuhler
Nov 24, 2011 at 9:05am
Comments like "Take a shower" are so devoid of intellectual content it is not worth responding to them. I will repeat, for the hundredth time, I have a job - two in fact. I have a home - it's quite nice. I spend every non-work waking hour working with Occupy Vancouver movement...because IT IS NOT ABOUT ME. The gap between the rich and the poor is growing faster in Canada than the US. We are taking no meaningful action on climate change. The three levels of government are so intertwined with corporate interests it makes a mockery of the very word democracy. We have the lowest crime rate ever in Canada and we're about to build more prisons. So you simpleminded and vicious observers who self-congratulate yourselves on your ability to go to work and watch hockey untroubled by your consciences - wake up. You're an embarrassment to the human race.
OccupyMedic
Nov 24, 2011 at 4:19pm
Along with my job, and my daily showers, I was part of a team of 20 people that ran a 24hr free walk in health clinic on the grounds of the VAG for 5 weeks. All you people complaining about Occupy, what have you done lately, other than complain?
putyourendtowar
Apr 26, 2012 at 9:15pm
May Day, May 1st 2012 - I have seen broad united peaceful protest by the 99%. I have seen caring people come together to support one another. I have seen communities building local value. I do not see the usurious 1% succeeding unless we do nothing. Get off your complacent and confused butt and go out and OCCUPY! Everything. Take back our streets, take back our governments, take back our banks, take back our lives, take back our freedom. Do not feed into the fear of a few evil men. That's how they got to be the one percent. That is what the 1% want. We on the other hand, want it all back in spades. It only takes 1 person to turn the tide of history. There is no argument, we cannot fail. United, we stand. This May 1, 2012 feed the planet OCCUPY Everything - OCCUPY 100%.
http://putyourendtowar.livejournal.com