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Cities try talks to move Wall Street protest camps
Source: Agencies |
November 25, 2011, Friday
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WITH anti-Wall Street protesters entrenched in their encampments in San Francisco and Los Angeles, the cities are desperate for long-term solutions to end the drain on resources and soothe the frayed nerves of police and politicians.
Officials in both cities have considered providing protesters with indoor space to allow the movement to carry out its work in more sanitary, less public facilities.
Occupiers are debating among themselves whether to hold their ground or try to take advantage of such moves.
San Francisco is negotiating with Occupy SF members about moving their encampment from the heart of the financial district to an empty school in the city's Mission district. There the occupiers would have access to toilets and a room for daily meetings while camping in the car park of what was once a small high school.
The move also could help them weed out drug addicts and drunks, and those not wholly committed to their cause.
In Los Angeles, Occupy members said officials have rescinded a similar deal, in which the city would have leased a 930-square-meter former bookstore in Los Angeles to the protesters for US$1 a year.
But after the proposal was made public at an Occupy LA general assembly, some saw it as an irresponsible use of public resources by a city struggling with financial problems, and the offer was withdrawn.
Deputy Mayor Matt Szabo said the encampment around City Hall would be shut down at some point next week. It is not clear whether the city will continue to negotiate with Occupy LA over a new location.
The talks in both cities mark a distinctly different approach than tactics used elsewhere in which police have been used to dislodge Occupy camps.
Violence and arrests have plagued camps in Oakland and New York, while the use of batons and pepper spray against peaceful protesters on University of California campuses has led to a national outcry.
Officials in both cities have considered providing protesters with indoor space to allow the movement to carry out its work in more sanitary, less public facilities.
Occupiers are debating among themselves whether to hold their ground or try to take advantage of such moves.
San Francisco is negotiating with Occupy SF members about moving their encampment from the heart of the financial district to an empty school in the city's Mission district. There the occupiers would have access to toilets and a room for daily meetings while camping in the car park of what was once a small high school.
The move also could help them weed out drug addicts and drunks, and those not wholly committed to their cause.
In Los Angeles, Occupy members said officials have rescinded a similar deal, in which the city would have leased a 930-square-meter former bookstore in Los Angeles to the protesters for US$1 a year.
But after the proposal was made public at an Occupy LA general assembly, some saw it as an irresponsible use of public resources by a city struggling with financial problems, and the offer was withdrawn.
Deputy Mayor Matt Szabo said the encampment around City Hall would be shut down at some point next week. It is not clear whether the city will continue to negotiate with Occupy LA over a new location.
The talks in both cities mark a distinctly different approach than tactics used elsewhere in which police have been used to dislodge Occupy camps.
Violence and arrests have plagued camps in Oakland and New York, while the use of batons and pepper spray against peaceful protesters on University of California campuses has led to a national outcry.
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