Occupy Baltimore, One Month Later
The group plans to step up its game, and part of that plan includes winterized tents.
By Emaun Kashfipour, Capital News Service
BALTIMORE - It has been a month since the Occupy Baltimore movement took over space at Baltimore's Inner Harbor on Oct. 4, and winter is fast approaching.
The group is planning to erect larger, winterized tents for the activists who are camping out on McKeldin Square.
"The aesthetic will improve, the safety will improve, the accountability will improve," said Damien Nichols, an Occupy Baltimore activist.
Ashley Bridges, another Occupy Baltimore activist, isn't worried about the cold.
"I feel, if you're dedicated enough, you can make it work," she said. "You'll figure out something you can do to try and adjust to the temperature."
Bridges has camped out at McKeldin Square since the start of the occupy movement in Baltimore.
The group has developed a system of about 20 committees to regulate the group's affairs. There are committees in charge of food, shelter, media, medicine, the group's goals and purposes, and other issues.
Though the group does not yet have a single goal, the Occupy Baltimore activists are working to come up with solutions to the problems they see with society.
The group holds a "general assembly" meeting every night where it determines its next move.
"That's the main venue for the democratic process that goes on here," said Jerry Raitzyk, the director of the Chesapeake Juggling Institute and an Occupy Baltimore activist. "Everybody has a chance to have their say. Sometimes we try to make decisions ... some are put off until another time because there are a lot of suggestions."
Bridges thinks that the lack of a single direction makes the movement great.
"I like it because we're not just protesting one thing. It's multiple categories of issues we have in society," she said.
Nichols thinks that ultimately the movement will lead the activists back to their communities and away from McKeldin Square.
"I think we're going to start moving out from our specific occupation locations into our communities to start doing the work ourselves that we think our governments should be doing, providing what we think the corporations should be providing," said Nichols. "We need to do these things for each other because the corporations will only do it for profit."
withavengeance
8:10 am on Saturday, November 5, 2011
Then move back to your communities already! Enough is enough!
Fran Acle
10:05 am on Saturday, November 5, 2011
Maybe you should go home and look for a job.
james johnson
7:43 pm on Sunday, November 6, 2011
I think u would be more productive inside ur communities instead of ur tents..there is too much negative press surrounding u..n its only a matter of time before our mayor sic her police on u guys..b smart
al walker
8:24 pm on Sunday, November 6, 2011
occupy a job at mcDonalds or a department store at least for the holidays. they are always hiring.
Fran Acle
12:12 am on Monday, November 7, 2011
The problem with these Occupy Wallstreet people is that don't appreciate how much hard work and talent it took for most of these CEOs to get where they are. I am a small business owner and I don't begrudge the big corporations for the rewards they have reaped. They owe me nothing.
Ian Lurie
12:26 pm on Monday, November 7, 2011
The issues being challenged here go much deeper than a lack of jobs. Anyone can go to a retail store and get a minimum wage job. The issues come from the fact that big businesses think they can take advantage of the public (see Bank of America). Big businesses also have the ability to push aside small business owners such as Ms. Acle (above). They have this ability because our government allows them to with hardly any regulation. Big businesses run our nation and (for the most part) are only looking out for themselves and not the american public. The protesters are trying to challenge these issues and many more. The major problem is that they are not organized. They cannot handle all of these issues at once and the fact that they are trying to is doing more harm than good. They need to get organized, clean themselves up, and attack the problems one by one. If they can do that the public might begin to take them seriously and maybe even join the fight.
Lorna D. Rudnikas
8:13 am on Friday, November 25, 2011
Wow! I am assuming that all of the statements in quotes throughout the article are actually written as spoken. And they all come together, same little spot, every day, every night with no particular goals (as written) and very pleased about that. Geez, well aren't they special!!!
Buck Harmon
10:38 am on Friday, November 25, 2011
Well.... they have us reading and writing about it..
someone seems to be paying attention at this little spot.
Lorna D. Rudnikas
11:28 am on Friday, November 25, 2011
Yep....and now to ascertain what their "it" is!!! We read and write about most anything, and even nothing these days. Enhancing the Inner Harbor setting with tents - what a novel idea for attention getting and for a cause that even the folks doing it have not the slightest clue. Doesn't bode well for the message (whatever that it) or for the level of consciousness being observed. But, maybe everyday taxpaying folks observing will begin to wonder...."what the x%??$???" So this is where some of my taxes are going....showing off "tent city" for God knows what....Yikes!!!! Spreading health issues among the masses. Ahhhh yes....We use to call it Hippy Time U.S.A. ...now it's occupiers, mmmmm.
withavengeance
8:05 pm on Saturday, November 26, 2011
The only reason anyone is paying attention is because the media keeps them in the limelight for whatever agenda THEY have, and because of the disgusting shenanigans going on in the tent shanties. Buck, you're the interloper here instead of me...what a refreshing change!