Photos: Spending a chilly night in the Occupy Vancouver tent city

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      This past weekend (October 22 and 23), Georgia Straight reporter Matthew Burrows and I set up a tent at the Occupy Vancouver site downtown.

      During the 17 hours we spent in and around the tent city, we spoke to activists and supporters, observed a general assembly, sampled the food, listened to hecklers, and tried to get some sleep.

      When we arrived at the camp, it was just hours after environmentalist David Suzuki made an address at the tent city and protesters occupied several bank branches, including a nearby TD Canada Trust.

      Both Vision Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson and his chief electoral challenger, Non Partisan Association candidate Suzanne Anton, are working to have the more-than-a-week-old tent city removed, but occupiers say they plan to stay.

      Here's a look at Occupy Vancouver in pictures.

      Articles and video from our night at Occupy Vancouver:
      Love and hugging more powerful than anger and bitching, activist claims
      Medical coordinator and council candidate Chris Shaw busy till midnight
      Food Not Bombs sustains tent city with vegan food
      Ahmad Saeid believes protesters should adopt single message
      Young campers tell their stories as Day 9 dawns clear and sunny
      A cold, noisy night in the tent city
      In tweets: Spending one night in Occupy Vancouver's tent city

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      Comments

      10 Comments

      2nd Nation

      Oct 24, 2011 at 1:30pm

      OK, let me say at the outset that I'm a member of the middle class. Or at least that's how I identify.

      Secondly, I don't like the thought of massive and disproportionate concentration of wealth in the hands of a few. Yet when I look at this protest I see a collection of issues, some of which overlap my perspective (e.g. raise minimum wage) and many that do not (e.g. "condos kill ... class war"). As such I'll not participate in this effort as it seems to have been hijacked (like so many well intentioned and deserved public protests).

      So what you might say? Well here's why this is important: if you can't convince the middle class to join you on this one (or any protest) then you're unlikely to realize any change beyond some stories in the media.

      Arthur Vandelay

      Oct 24, 2011 at 2:37pm

      My favorite comment was "End Apathy". I just wish the GS would ask how many people that are camped out at the VAG lawn have EVER voted.

      Gentleman Jack

      Oct 24, 2011 at 6:53pm

      Why should they vote, Arthur?
      Ask permission from others to live according to the ancient custom of the people of planet earth? They are living in tents, as their forefathers did. Thank goodness that not everyone is a psychotic person who believes in corporations.
      Nobody needs permission to stay safe, stay warm in community on the land. That's the unlawful abusive view of the Colonists who have destroyed this land with rapacious wealth extraction projects.

      Arthur Vandelay

      Oct 25, 2011 at 12:59am

      @GJack - they should vote because these occupies are not asking to "live according to the ancient custom of the people of planet earth". They are asking for a greater share in the wealth of an industrialized nation. And yes they do need "permission to stay safe, stay warm in community on the land", it's called land use and zoning. It's how every industrialzed society on the planet earth has chosen to organize itself. It's the same reason nobody has built an fish processing plant next to your mental health facility.

      M. Brock

      Oct 25, 2011 at 9:37am

      CBC asked the vote question of various Occupy Toronto protestors. Over 75% said they voted.

      Strategis

      Oct 25, 2011 at 2:39pm

      The Occupy Vancouver camp is a wonderful place, full of great people and educational, constructive happenings. However, unless the participants start to focus more on how to transform society in effective ways, the purpose for the gathering will be forgotton and replaced by a mere short term experiment in communal living that will likely have no real impact on Canada, the corporations, or the future of world society in general.

      Charles B

      Oct 26, 2011 at 1:26pm

      Dear Gregor

      You should be with the 99% not doing what the 1% wants you to do .. you should be marching with the 1%

      You should be the instrument of change and liberation, not the oppressor for the 1%.

      Leave the job of tool for the 1% to Anton

      Lets hear from the real progressive Mayor of Vancouver.

      You should encourage them to move the Occupy Vancouver to outside the Vancouver Club on Hastings Street and set up camp .. or maybe even occupy the Vancouver Club and kick the oppressive bums out of the Vancouver Club.

      I look forward to hearing some Progressive action and talk from our Vancouver Mayor .. not what I heard this morning on the CBC.

      Charles B

      Another world is possible.

      Yoshikaru

      Oct 28, 2011 at 6:23am

      I have to laugh at these people. They think they can live like kings for doing nothing? Ha!

      I grew up in a poor area, worked hard through high school, got good marks, went to UBC, worked even harder there, while working a part time job. Got my MBA with good grades, got a good job, paid of my education, saved up, and have now bought my first car. I am Native, so don't preach to me about my forefathers living in tents. What is going on there, is people who could be educating themselves, are people who think that the world should cater to their needs. Sitting in a tent in the middle of Vancouver isn't going to change the world, all that's going to happen is that you're going to cause an inconvenience for other people, and waste your own time. Grow up, get educated, and get a job. It isn't that hard considering the benefits at the end.

      Jen

      Oct 28, 2011 at 5:30pm

      In response to Rae:

      Unfortunately, the middle class are a bit part of the problem. Until people - the middle and upper middle classes - start to feel the threat that their comforts might be in jeopardy, no significant action towards change is going to ever come from them. As long as they are comfortable they will not be willing to stop being bribed by the corporate overlords. Taking cushy jobs in the corporate sector OR non-profit sector (which is a scandal unto itself once you start seeing the theiving that is going under the cover of being do-gooders) is basically selling out. Those jobs require each one of us to turn a blind eye to the truth - Those jobs include obfuscation of the truth, and towing the corporate line or the elite line. Cliques, networking, social cliques - all of this should have no place in the professional work world. People should have labour rights that include the right to challenge job hirings and nepotism should be outlawed as it was in the 1950's in Canada by many municipalities (regarding municipal level jobs) - quietly those by-laws were all done away with during the 80's and 90's when nobody was paying attention.

      Jen

      Denise

      Nov 11, 2011 at 11:36pm

      De Occupy Vancouver is GREAT! I think its time for a repeat visit, and help evolve our part of the world!