Occupy Baltimore: City wants scaled-back presence

Posted: 4:52 pm Tue, October 25, 2011
By Associated Press

http://www.vimeo.com/31112243

City officials want Occupy Baltimore to scale back its presence at a downtown plaza near the Inner Harbor.

A copy of the city’s response to Occupy Baltimore’s permit application was provided to The Associated Press by protesters. The document marked “Draft” shows that starting Wednesday, only two people will be allowed to stay overnight as night watchmen in one tent in McKeldin Square by the Inner Harbor. Everyone else must leave by midnight, when the plaza closes to visitors.

The group said in a statement Tuesday that it is preparing for possible intervention by the city and calling for supporters to join them at the encampment. Late Tuesday, more than 150 people had gathered at the site by the time the daily general assembly meeting began.

“Occupy Baltimore recognizes that their requests are outside of the box for the city’s existing permit system, but encourages the city to work alongside peaceful and respectful demonstrators to create a legal space where all voices can be heard,” the statement reads.

The group agreed that they would accept some of the city’s requirements, including not blocking passage through the square. But they agreed that they could not accept the requirement that only two people could stay overnight.

“I definitely don’t feel like we can compromise on that at all,” said Jenny Gaeng, who has been staying at the site around the clock.

Staying at the site has allowed the group to build a community.

“That’s the one thing I’ve gotten out of it,” Gaeng said. “If you evict us from the space then you take that away.”

The city will provide 10 pop-up tent shelters for daytime use, but it is restricting the group to a smaller space in the plaza than they are already occupying. The city is also requiring the group to designate a spokesman or woman who can sign the permission document and serve as a point of contact.

The group, which has been at the site since Oct. 4, has more than a dozen small camping tents and several other larger tents house a makeshift kitchen and first-aid station. The number of people at the site fluctuates depending on the time of day and the weather, but participants have said more than 20 people sleep there most nights. Many participants feel that the round-the-clock presence of protesters is an integral part of this movement.

“Today is when we find out what we are made of because we are under threat,” said David Kellam, 30, of Baltimore.

The group applied for a permit for 25 to 300 people earlier this month to express solidarity with Occupy Wall Street, a demonstration in New York City against corporate influence, Department of Recreation and Parks spokeswoman Gwendolyn Burrell Chambers said last week. However, Chambers did not have any details about the document handed over to protesters this week.

Occupy Baltimore said in its statement that it hopes that the city will continue to work with the group to ensure that their occupation can continue, but it’s not clear yet how much participants will comply with the demands before Wednesday.

“Individuals will do what they want,” said Robert Brune of Columbia. “Our governance doesn’t command them to do anything.”

It’s also not clear yet exactly how city officials plan to respond if their demands aren’t met. Police have referred questions to the parks department, but said they will respond if needed.

The city allows people to demonstrate in the plaza because the city is committed to protecting free speech rights, according to mayoral spokesman Ryan O’Doherty.

“McKeldin Plaza, however, is not a campground, and overnight camping is prohibited,” O’Doherty said in a statement. “The city will continue to monitor the situation and deal with individual acts of illegal behavior on a case-by-case basis.”