Frank has been downtown all day with OccupySD. He just called to let me know (and to let you know) that it appears that arrests may be imminent in the Civic Center Concourse.
From what he can ascertain, there is to be a large dance event in the concourse on Saturday that is scheduled to go from 3pm to midnight. The police want the plaza cleared so the plaza can be cleaned for this event (sounds familiar… I think something similar happened in Seattle and is now an issue in New York). Some protesters are willing to remove their tents for the event, but don’t want to leave the encampment.
Some occupiers broke camp last night and moved to Children’s Park over brewing tensions, but are moving to Balboa Park, near Elm and 6th tentatively, where they hope to create a sustainable environment.
Frank’s phone is dead, the OccupySD live feed is down and so is the OccupySD.org website. More as I hear it.
UPDATE: This from OccupySD facebook via Christopher Reed:
Official word from the police chief: the personal property has to go by 12 midnight, but the people can stay. (personal property: tents, chairs, tables, boths, etc)
furthermore, because of aggressive provocateurs at the civic center toward the police, as well as the police neutering our occupation by preventing people from coming to & fro, half of the camp (mostly the organizers & booths: media, food, medical, etc) has established a new location in balboa park. be where you want to be
7:15 pm – via facebook:
Regrouping at Balboa Park NOW. South of the 163 between Presidents Way and the 163 N. onramp. This is the SE side of park Groups are here, more enroute.
8:27 pm
As long as Occupy remains non-violent, they will maintain the moral high road and continue to gain support from the 99%. Aggressive provocateurs are on thin ice. I hope they take a deep breath, eat a good meal and talk and listen to the other folks at Occupy SD.
I take offense to the characterization of some elements of Occupy as “aggressive provocateurs”
They are practicing non-violent resistance. They are not being threatening in any way, they were sitting. Footage of the incident last night here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsAeD6q5Vt0
There is a difference between non-violent resistance, civil disobedience and aggressive provocation.
Anyone have clarification on how many are still occupying the concourse, who’s moved to Balboa, what’s going on? As Patty says, the site is down, and trying to decipher the Twitter is a mess.
I talked a couple days ago about cooperating with police as long as they were cooperative with the movement…this seems like an attempt to use procedural BS to kill the movement without actually taking confrontational action to kill it.
They aren’t aggressive provacateurs, they just don’t want to let police completely dictate terms of occupation and if they can hold any sign in the world “I ‘heart’ SDPD” isn’t the message they want to get out there.
They have been completely nonviolent thus far and the group that broke ranks did so without consensus, dividing the movement and agitating in the media against peaceful occupiers who stuck to the plan.
Very sad.
Was there eventually consensus and everyone has left for the park?
Sounds like no – last I heard the splinter group is gone but the majority are staying to set up a confrontation with police over their eviction.
Not everyone has left for the park. Some people are still there, as are some of the tents.
It has begun. Be safe.
I am not an occupier, but I have been going down to the civic center every day since last friday, and I can report from my vantagepoint that over the course of time the anti-police message has drowned out the anti-bank anti-corporate message.
Here’s the thing: white and male is not the big tent
black and female is not the big tent
gay is not the big tent
atheist is not the big tent
jewish is not the big tent
palestinian is not the big tent
and antipolice is not the big tent
Economics is the big tent
Economics is the 99%
Economics is what we are agree on and what gives us power
bump^
Occupy San Diego needs to get the Unions and Move on to come down to their location to support them. This is what happened in Occupy Wall Street when mayor Bloomburg threatened to force them out. Elizabeth
Elizabeth, a small MoveOn rally and march was held on Wed in support of the Occupy action. Different unions have donated foods, etc. Today, for instance, the IBEW donated a bunch of prepared food that SDPD tried to prevent from coming in to the Plaza.
The unions are providing help in a lot of different ways – but they don’t want to take a leadership role or co-opt the movement. Corporate America killed the Tea Party by taking too big a role, the unions are being careful not to get too involved and do the same to Occupy, though I can guarantee you the they’re 100% supportive.