At least 50 people will begin the next stage of the Occupy Vermont on Friday at 3 p.m. – an ongoing occupation at City Hall Park in Burlington.
The decision was made at a local General Assembly last Sunday, and has since circulated through social networks and the Internet. Dozens of supporters have been meeting in various working groups to make sure that everything — from food and entertainment to conduct in the park — goes smoothly.
The big question is whether those participating locally in the protest against economic inequality will be able to remain in the park overnight and stay as long as they want. A local ordinance says that city parks close at night, in the case of City Hall Park at 11 p.m. But Mayor Bob Kiss hasn’t made a final decision yet about the park’s use this weekend. On Wednesday, city officials met with protest organizers.
Chapter 22 of Burlington’s Code of Ordinances says, “It shall be unlawful for any person to camp in any public park in the city unless otherwise authorized.” That includes bedding, sleeping bags, tents and any “living area,” or “use of any public park for sleeping” between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. The usual penalty is a fine of between $50 and $500 for each day.
The city is currently reviewing “its legal obligations and requirements,” says Joe Reinert, assistant to the mayor. Among the considerations are public health and safety.
Representatives of the police, fire and parks departments say they aren’t looking for confrontation but must make sure that no one is inconvenienced.
The first concern is keeping the park public. That means making certain that the Queen City Ghost Walk and the weekly farmer’s market, which holds its last sale day of the season on Saturday, aren’t disrupted, according to deputy Burlington Police Chief Andi Higbee.
“My job is to ensure their safety as well as the safety of anybody else who might be interested in using that park,” Higbee said. But he added that the police will only enforce the curfew if forced. Many in the Occupy movement see those who sell or buy at farmers’ markets as natural allies.
“You have an interest that is potentially represented by a lot of people, and you can’t ignore that,” Reinert noted. “But our considerations are not viewpoint-based.”
The Parks and Recreation Department is looking at sanitation questions and how to stay within existing municipal ordinances. “We’re certainly concerned about fire, open flame,” says director Mari Steinbach.
Organizers expect at least 50 people to be on hand as the encampment begins. Each Sunday afternoon for the last month between 150 and 500 people have shown up at the park to march and discuss issues – from economic inequality to closing Vermont Yankee.
The Friday schedule includes art and music at 5 p.m., while Food Not Bombs and others provide free food. A General Assembly will begin at 7 p.m. Volunteer artists will construct a papier-mache Statue of Liberty to use as an occupation “mascot.” On Saturday, plans include music, dancing and discussion of “the solutions to our world problems.” A flyer circulating in Burlington asks people to bring tents, folding chairs, tarps, blankets, sleeping bags, signs, positive vibes and vision.
Jonathan Leavitt, who led anti-Lockheed organizing earlier in the year, has emerged as a local leader, giving TV interviews and talking with city officials. “It’s a really big park and the farmers market doesn’t utilize all of it,” he told WCAX earlier this week, “so we have had a lot of great conversations about how we can respect their space and utilize our rights to democratically assemble.”
