Top 11 of 2011: Taking Up Space
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Was it a college-fueled lark? An ironic couple nights of camping out? Neither, it turned out, as Providence picked up the inspiration from New York and began an encampment among the busses, food trucks and pigeons of Kennedy Plaza.
The Occupy Providence movement began with a march of more than 1,000 demonstrators on October 15. The camping numbers dwindled but then stabilized as the weather deteriorated and the initial exuberance of the protest wore off. What remained was a daily reminder to Rhode Islanders coming and going from downtown Providence that a global movement of more than 4,000 Occupy protests had local adherents. And issues.
It was impossible not to notice the orderly encampment of brightly colored tents in the urban shantytown below the statue of Civil War general Ambrose Burnside, and the city, which had allowed Occupy Providence to begin its official occupation without a permit, wrestled with what to do as the weeks grew. On December 21, the protesters voted to leave the park by January 2 in exchange for the city opening a temporary homeless shelter.
With violent confrontations between Occupiers and law enforcement in other cities adding a bitter edge to the story, the local occupation has remained remarkably peaceful. What the winter will bring for the local and global movement continues to play out in the media worldwide.
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