Occupy Providence plans upcoming actions

Discussion at the Occupy Providence General Assembly.

At this afternoon's General Assembly (GA), Occupy Providence spent much of the session talking about upcoming actions, and the next two weeks promise to be a busy — and visible — time.

This Thursday, Dec 1, the Occupiers will return to City Hall to rally at 6pm and then attend the City Council meeting at 7, where the resolution in support of the Occupation is expected to come out of committee for a vote.

Then, on Saturday, Dec. 3, a major action, "Occupy The Night," will focus attention on oppression based on gender and sexual identity. Beginning at 6pm in Burnside Park, there will be a rally with speakers, and a march to "reclaim the streets" followed by a sleep-out in Burside Park. The event is organized by the The Women/Trans/Genderqueer Caucus and the Queer Caucus, and takes inspiration from Take Back the Night.

Finally, on Dec 10, a rally and march to the State House is planned in support of legislation for affordable housing. Expect to hear more on this one soon.

There were also report backs from working groups, most significantly from Legal, which has been reaching out to the City to propose mediation, and the Safety group, which asked for any volunteers for the late shifts on the weekends. "The problem is not the police," said one member, "It's the drunk kids souped up on WPRO who come running through when the bars close" who have been yelling and kicking tents. The approach the Safety group has been taking is to have "friendly faces" at the entrances to engage them in conversation. "We're not screaming — we're saying, 'Let's talk.'"

Editorial note: If you live in Providence, you might want to give your City Councilor a jingle just to let them know where you stand on Occupy. And next Saturday should be big — hope to see you there!