Occupy Philly Facing Eviction TODAY
Rocco
Despite having sent a letter of appeal to City Hall, Occupy
Philadelphia is facing imminent eviction:
[Mayor] Nutter has joined the chorus of Mayors nationwide to silence
and render invisible this movement against Wall Street greed. The City
told us to leave City Hall with all of our belongings by 5pm today. At
5pm let's show them how much support this movement has. Come to City
Hall and stand with the 99%! Chances are police will not move in at
that time. The City will probably unleash them in the middle of the
night to start ripping down tents and displacing the homeless.
Occupy Philly also released the following statement urging solidarity
from the 99% and offering ways for supporters to help today:
make & bring tons of banners (e.g., "You can't evict an idea whose
time has come"), signs, & literature
convince tons & tons of your friends, neighbors, colleagues,
relatives, & others to come to OP tomorrow
bring camera and recorders, to do copwatch & make media (register &
post your own media at http://occupyphillymedia.org)
engage in a variety of ways, from helping folks without other homes to
relocate, to creatively demonstrating & messaging, to being a witness
& standing in solidarity, etc.
get plenty of sleep & eat well beforehand
write down the OP legal collective number, 484-758-0488, and know your
most basic right--to remain silent
Friends Center should be open starting at 5 pm at "safe" space for
those who need it
For more details, come to OP at 10 am, noon, or definitely by 3 pm.,
organize through your OP working group or an affinity group, and stay
tuned to "Occupy Philadelphia" on Facebook and http://occupyphillymedia.org.
Stay strong!
Here are other plans for today in Philly:
10 am, for those who've been involved in the occupation, meet at
Dilworth to prep the plaza
noon, supporters from OWS and other occupations arrive
3 pm, meet at the GA area to go over protest & other plans
5 pm, be ready for the eviction
later Sunday evening, join in jail solidarity, if needed
4 pm the day after our eviction, regroup at Rittenhouse Square (i.e.,
Monday at 4 pm, if we're evicted on Sunday night)
Occupy Philly has been occupying Dilworth Plaza for months. Weeks ago,
Mayor Nutter and the City offered Occupy Philly a "compromise" by
promising to issue a permit for protesters to stay in Thomas Paine
Plaza between the hours of 9am to 7pm, with no tents. But our
fundamental right to assemble in peaceful protest cannot be subject to
city curfews and anti-speech ordinances. Seeking justice is not a 9 to
5 activity. Moreover, because of corporate greed and the vast economic
inequalities it creates, many occupiers are actually homeless, and
cannot simply "give up their tents" and go home. In rejecting the
city's untenable proposal, Occupy Philly stands not only with homeless
occupiers, but with all who believe our basic rights cannot be quashed
by municipal fiat.
We are not only protesting economic inequality. We are creating new
democratic structures, new ways of living together, and new ways of
supporting each other.
We are the 99% -- and we aren't going anywhere.