- Rhiannon Fionn
- Protesters chant “Whose Streets? Our Streets?” in front of Bank of America’s headquarters
For those of you unaware, I’ve been out of the country for a while. Upon my return last night, I stopped by Occupy Charlotte’s base camp to find out what’s been shakin’ over the past week and a half.
I’d already read the news reports: Mayor Pat wants the occupiers out, the police said they couldn’t have portable potties, their de facto leader got ousted and two people who were trying to join the movement on the fly got arrested for jaywalking.
What I wanted to know — and what I figure you want to know, too — is how these things have affected the campers. I’m also interested to know what a day-in-the-life is like for the campers, the intricacies of how their direct democracy system works (I can tell you now it’s slow moving), how the message-honing is going, what their plans are for the future, and more. I’d also like to keep bringing you voices from the occupation — an in-their-own-words audio series we started the night the occupiers began camping, on Oct. 8.
Speaking of “more” — if there’s something you’re curious about regarding Occupy Charlotte, and you’d like me to ask, spill it in the comments and I’ll try to find out for you.
During last night’s visit, I discovered that the camp had grown. There were 24 tents on the night of Oct. 13; there are now around 40. The kitchen has moved and is larger and better organized. There’s a notebook of meeting minutes at the group’s information desk for people to sift through to get a feel for what they’re proposing and discussing during their daily assemblies. And those daily assemblies now occur on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1 p.m.; Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7 p.m.; and Saturdays at 3 p.m.
For the foreseeable future, the group plans to hold an action — think “march” or “protest” — every Saturday at 3 p.m., launching from the Old City Hall at 600 E. Trade St. We hear the protesters may be in costume this week.
We’ll be bringing you more of the straight scoop from Occupy Charlotte’s base camp for as long as they’re there — and, no, we’re not sure how long that will be. Stay tuned.
This article appears in Oct 25-31, 2011.
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security