For those who haven't been following, Occupy Portland has a fairly unique problem. The two downtown parks being occupied have both been reserved and permitted for almost a year by the Portland Marathon for staging and beginning/end of the race. And the Portland marathon is an international event, drawing 15,000 runners, about 10,000 from out of state. Most of those 10,000 stay for at least a few days. It's a great event, and a huge boost to the local economy.
Initially it was proposed that the occupation move to a different park for the duration of the marathon, occupiers basically said "fuck no, we will sit in the race path and let you arrest us on TV. Which our police would be more than happy to do.
Next proposal was to "fence in" the occupiers behind a black curtain so their message did not "distract" from the race. Occupiers said very clearly "We will tear down your wall".
It now looks like race organizers, occupiers, and the city have reached a compromise all can live with. The occupiers will give up one of the two parks for the duration of the race, and there will be netting and controlled access on the other one, but it will be simple crowd control netting, occupiers and their message will be clearly visible on international TV during the start/finish of the race.
Although I hate to admit it, I have a grudging admiration for our sleazy mayor and trigger-happy police chief. They have been willing to negotiate, and the chief has kept the cops on a very short leash.
For once, democracy seems to be working on multiple levels. Could it be because we are finally scaring them?
The official statement from Occupy Portland:
The Portland Marathon is currently engaged in setting up infrastructure around our occupation site to maximize fun and safety for both participants in the Portland Marathon and participants in Occupy Portland. There is a growing amount of overlap between participants in these two events. We are excited about cooperation with the Portland Marathon Committee to make this a great experience for all involved.
Occupy Portland plans to remain in Chapman Square indefinitely and also will spread tonight to the Park Blocks at PSU. There will be occupiers camping overnight at the PSU Park Blocks. All are invited to come join us in joyful resistance. Occupiers at the PSU Park Blocks will be meeting on Sunday morning to plan a march back to Chapman Square to build support for our movement and reach out to citizens downtown.
More @:
http://occupypdx.org/I'm still a bit uneasy on multiple levels. Our police have an absolutely hideous record (multiple ongoing DOJ investigations). The marathon, as much as I love it (I used to be a runner until my knees gave out) is sponsored by exactly the corps that we hate (like Nike, US Bank, Hilton) and part of me wonders if this isn't the perfect time to go for radical civil disobedience. (like, a sit-in on the finish line, on International TV).
Tune in tomorrow, it should be interesting times.
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