*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, December 10, 2011*
Contacts: OccupyBostonMedia@gmail.com
Twitter: @OccupyBOS_media
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OCCUPY BOSTON RAIDED
On December 10, 2011 at 5 am #OccupyBoston’s Dewey Square encampment was raided by the Boston Police Department and other officials. Thirty-five peaceful protesters were arrested on the Rose F. Kennedy Greenway just two days after Mayor Thomas Menino issued a notice of eviction. Eight others were arrested in the streets and sidewalks surrounding Dewey Square and three were detained in South Station. Throughout the two-hour period during which the arrests occurred, #OccupyBoston members remained resolute and nonviolent in the face of a disproportionately large police presence. At least 100 officers were counted inside Dewey Square at 5:30 am, while some estimates place the count at greater than 200.
Credentialed press, citizen journalists, academic researchers, and #OccupyBoston media members were repeatedly corralled and moved to surrounding areas 50 feet away or more, prohibiting many from thoroughly covering the raid. From pointing lights in photographers’ lenses to targeting the two official #OccupyBoston USTREAM live videographers for removal, officials went to great lengths to block media access.
You cannot evict an idea whose time has come. Boston’s Occupiers will persist in rejecting a world created by and for the 1%. We might have been evicted, but we shall not be moved. We remain invested in the future of our movement. We will continue to challenge Wall Street’s occupation of our government.
We encourage everyone to join in the national conversation that has sustained #OccupyBoston for the past seventy-one days. #OccupyBoston will hold a General Assembly tonight at 7 pm at the bandstand on the Boston Common. We are the 99%, and we are no longer silent.
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#OccupyBoston is the beginning of an ongoing conversation about fixing our world: reforming Wall Street, removing special interests from government, preserving our civil liberties, and much more. #OccupyBoston is just one of more than 1000 separate Occupy movements in cities across the world and a symbol for “Occupiers” everywhere who support real and lasting change.
Website: www.OccupyBoston.org
31 Responses to “Occupy Boston Evicted from Dewey Square”
Thank you Occupy-Boston !!!!!
My thoughts are with all of the Boston Occupation. Hoping for your safety & ultimate success which will be the success of all. Stay strong, you are the hope of a nation.
on December 10th, 2011 at 12:19 pm #
[…] *FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, December 10, 2011* Contacts: OccupyBostonMedia@gmail.com Twitter: @occupyBOS_media ### Occupy Boston Evicted from Dewey Square | Occupy Boston […]
I am the 99%!! Standing tall and proud with my fellow occupiers in spirit. So proud of all of you!
I’d recommend that tonight you folks immediately take action to donate funds to repair Dewey Square – it will look good, and help repair Occupy’s image.
Agreed – if you repair the park and leave it as good or better than you found it, it will speak volumes.
It’s time for Occupy to move into the next phase. The camp was honestly holding you back – all of your energy had been fixated for a month on the camp itself, rather than the issues.
While I know many of the campers may think this was a horrible thing, it was time to move on. In the long run, refocusing on the issues without the camp holding you back will be the best thing that’s happened.
http://bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1387305
yeah, look at this negative pr. sigh.
$50k, $100k, $1 million in repairs is nothing compared to the trillions of dollars hoarded by banks for their profits. shouldn’t one of those banks surrounding dewey square pay for the repairs….
🙂
No. Occupy Boston should pay for the repairs, as THEY are the ones who damaged the site.
To do otherwise just proves the anti-Occupy opinion that it’s a movement of irresponsible, lazy kids.
Occupy most definitely has helped the city more than it has hurt it. Just think of how many homeless people the occupation “paid for” so the city didn’t have to.
Occupy Boston has a fund to pay for repairing the grass, which Greenway previously quoted us as roughly $12,000.
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I don’t know where the additional $988,000 in costs comes from. Perhaps graffiti removal is the business i should go into, since it seems to rake in big buck.
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We have a fund and we also offered to do it ourselves. The Greenway has been alternately easy and difficult to work with.
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What cost democracy? In a country where there are more foreclosed homes than the large number of homeless people, and where lobbyists are paid billions per year, what is the relative cost of holding a public focus group gathering for democracy and economic fairness on a half acre of grass owned by the state?
The other costs, Sage, would be the charges for the police details for the camp.
I agree.Please re-post the link for the Greenway Restoration Fund and make this a topic of discussion tonight at the GA. Many people sympathetic to the cause are angry over this. Many people don’t understand civil disobedience, or how the occupation connects to the larger message, so if the movement is to continue to grow without a physical occupation, it must repair itself in the eyes of those it seeks to work for. This is one way to rebuild esteem.
I agree. The city largely left you to do your thing there. Its a goodwill gesture that will speak loudly as the movement progresses.
The link is in the sidebar to the right! Thank you for your caring and concern!
Please re-post the link for the Greenway Restoration Fund and make this a topic of discussion tonight at the GA. Many people sympathetic to the cause are angry over this. Many people don’t understand civil disobedience, or how the occupation connects to the larger message, so if the movement is to continue to grow without a physical occupation, it must repair itself in the eyes of those it seeks to work for. This is one way to rebuild esteem.
They have already been raising funds (over 3k so far) and have a repair cost by the Greenway. Thry looking around the site a bit, you might actualy see what is going on.
How far will $2800 go? I haven’t seen that analysis on the site
I have done landscaping, and I could do it for $2,800 with volunteer labor, which we readily have. We could plant it with a perennial flower bed of liatrus, soledago, sedum, peonies, heliopsis, etc …. to let 1,000 flowers bloom!
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But the Greenway wants to do it in their own way. They originally quotes us $12,000 as an estimate on what grass replacement would cost, which is why our goal for the restoration fund was $15,000. If this were still the accurate number, we could transfer general fund money to the restoration fund, and pay for the use of the land on which we housed homeless people, and ran a crucible of democracy for two months, and were a huge tourist attraction in the city, and held hundred of free classes, concerts, and talks, and created a new public library, and fed thousands of people per day.
So, Sage, I gather that you’re opposed to paying for the greenway restoration?
Occupy Boston was a “crucible of democracy” for itself. Your group declared itself free from traditional democracy, and did not have a mandate from the people you claim to represent. Most movements don’t, and that does not devalue the work that you’ve done, but you did make your own choices. By consensus, and wiggling fingers, and your choices are what have led to people asking for you to help pay to restore the greenway.
Do something that the 1% has never done – take responsibility for your actions. You want to win the hearts and minds of the 99%, helping out the greenway would be a positive step in that direction.
on December 10th, 2011 at 1:21 pm #
[…] https://www.occupyboston.org/2011/12/10/3241/ […]
I can’t believe you people! The image of te movement does not need to be repaired. Menino is a disgrace and his efforts to silence the movement must not be allowed to succeed. Tonight the movement should discuss raising funds to field a candidate to unseat the mayor in the next election.
Lol way to frank ! Lol
‘We will not be moved.’ Wonderful, to take a stand – in the park – bring awareness, begin conversation, accept eviction peacefully and see the opportunity to continue in a different form. This is keeping the focus!
It is an excellent idea to put attention into cleaning up and beautifying the park. That is a statement of integrity and goodwill. I hope you choose to do it. If I were in Boston, I’d help you!
You still have many, many supporters for this movement and the goals to get money out of politics and address all the issues caused by corporate greed need to continue to be voiced to Wall Street and Washington. My hope is that this movement will now move from an Idea to Execution. Thank you to those who spent two months living in tents to draw attention to the major issues our country and our people are facing. We want a government of the people, by the people and FOR the people! Keep it up in Phase 2 – Idea to Implementation. As one of the 99% I will continue to support the Occupy movement and I am sure with the right focus many others will as well. Thank you – your efforts were much appreciated.
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For now, I leave you with this thought articulated by one of the recent OWS speakers:
“The only thing I’m afraid of is that we will someday just go home and then we will meet once a year, drinking beer, and nostaligically remembering “What a nice time we had here.” Promise yourselves that this will not be the case. We know that people often desire something but do not really want it. Don’t be afraid to really want what you desire. ”
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http://www.imposemagazine.com/bytes/slavoj-zizek-at-occupy-wall-street-transcript
finally
#OccupyBoston is the beginning of an ongoing conversation about fixing our world: reforming Wall Street, removing special interests from government, preserving our civil liberties, and much more. #
The Finest of Boston stood for a ideal and that message is clear we are not going away.
We the People will through General Assemblies give everyone of us a voice. It is not hard but challenging to place community and progress in betterment of living standards to reach consensus first sometimes it is far better to listen and understand afterward to think of how to do better. The eviction was forthcoming Occupiers made a statement and rallied over 5,000,000 People nationwide to the standard of liberty and community since the Zuccoti raid in NYC.
Despite such a strong civil show of support from the people of Pittsburgh, Boston, LA, Chicago, Cleveland where city wide support was affirmed through city councils, voting and the support of the public the People. Mayors and legislators seek removal and dissipation of movement. The progression of their view and stated replies has been Occupiers are hippies, Occupiers you can’t take serious, Occupiers are filthy people, to removal by police force excessive at times and in such a manner as to be non transparent hidden from the eyes of a national press that seems unable to report on anything but a created financial crisis and the political money game.
Well I can show easily that within another month support will grow to 10,000,000 million plus as the People form General Assemblies in every city to meet and join because they are not represented now and have little or no impact on the direction of the country or their lives in communities they live in, because the powers that be discourage democracy, because they well know their guilt and shame of their oppressive exploitative actions and will be voted out if democracy flourishes they call it chaos I call it liberty and freedom from the imposed global order of economic enslavement and exploitation.
The further resolve of Occupiers is greater in our peaceful resistance to a world constantly on edge of violence and war, of a world where people’s rights are slowly eroded through sensationalism public safety issues directed by media in either intentional or non-intentional consequence of pacifying and convincing individuals they have no voice and don’t have any power. We have and will be peaceful we will vote the powers that be out the corporate citizen, ALEC, and all who subvert democracy.
This struggle is not in vain, Now we the Occupiers by observing our General Assemblies will avail to removing the corruption, we will not lose sight of the fact that we are not a lobbying nor an political group we will remain people in the community coming forward to make a better life and more democratic where all have a voice. It speaks volume that the very first challenge was the first amendment we had to resist peacefully, and we will continue to resist peacefully nationwide. I am not afraid of your electronics, your tanks, your jets, your police, your money these things have very little value in a world seeking Peace.
Be Peaceful But OCCUPY
Resist and fight peacefully for your rights.
-Radsupporter
The Finest of Boston stood for a ideal and that message is clear we are not going away. We the People will through General Assemblies give everyone of us a voice. It is not hard but challenging to place community and progress in betterment of living standards to reach consensus first sometimes it is far better to listen and understand afterward to think of how to do better. The eviction was forthcoming Occupiers made a statement and rallied over 5,000,000 People nationwide to the standard of liberty and community since the Zuccoti raid in NYC.
Despite such a strong civil show of support from the people of Pittsburgh, Boston, LA, Chicago, Cleveland where city wide support was affirmed through city councils, voting and the support of the public the People. Mayors and legislators seek removal and dissipation of movement. The progression of their view and stated replies has been Occupiers are hippies, Occupiers you can’t take serious, Occupiers are filthy people, to removal by police force excessive at times and in such a manner as to be non transparent hidden from the eyes of a national press that seems unable to report on anything but crisis and the political money game.
Well I can show easily that within another month support will grow to 10,000,000 million plus as the People form General Assemblies meet and join because they are not represented now and have little or no impact on the direction of the country or their lives in communities they live in, because the powers that be discourage democracy, because they well know their guilt and shame of their oppressive exploitative actions and will be voted out if democracy flourishes they call it chaos I call it liberty and freedom from the imposed global order of economic enslavement.
The further resolve of Occupiers is greater in our peaceful resistance to a world constantly on edge of violence and war, of a world where people’s rights are slowly eroded through sensationalism public safety issues directed by media in either intentional or non-intentional consequence of pacifying and convincing individuals they have no voice and don’t have any power. We have and will be peaceful we will vote the powers that be out the corporate citizen, ALEC, and all who subvert democracy.
This struggle is not in vain, Now we the Occupiers by observing our General Assemblies will avail to removing the corruption, we will not lose sight of the fact that we are not a lobbying nor an political group we will remain people in the community coming forward to make a better life and more democratic where all have a voice. It speaks volume that the very first challenge was the first amendment we had to resist peacefully, and we will continue to resist peacefully nationwide. I am not afraid of your electronics, your tanks, your jets, your police, your money these things have very little value in a world seeking Peace.
Be Peaceful But OCCUPY
Resist and fight peacefully for your rights.
-Radsupporter
On to the next phase of whatever this movement will become.
I agree with the posters above. I drove by this morning and saw a huge cleanup effort underway, but by the city, not the Occupy folks. Walking away from that commitment would not set the Occupiers in a particularly good light. If the city already took care of this cleanup than number one on the agenda is to perform some cleanup or similar act of service. Or else you’re just taking from the rest of us without giving back — sound familiar?
Also, I am getting pretty sick of hearing about the “disproportionate police presence” blah blah blah. If a single improper act had been committed by a single officer, I am confident we would have heard about it. Trying to portray this eviction as some sort of sneak attack by the fascists is about as lame as it gets.
You got our attention because you are talking about an issue that needs to be addressed and that none of our elected officials is doing anything about — i.e., the 20% of our society that are ultra-rich or that have lifetime pension and health benefit guarantees because they lucked onto the public union payroll are screwing the rest of us.
I look forward to seeing the effort continue. I hope it becomes something with long-term effect that I can support.
You guys have completely trashed Dewy square. Don’t act like you guys are the victims either. I saw the news live on Friday morning where you guys were standing in the middle of the street obstructing traffic. Last time I checked that was illegal. Yet the cops gave you a break and diverted traffic. The mayor gave you amble wanting to leave and many of you did not. The people that were arrested have to face the consequences.
Now that the eyesore is gone and you guys have moved back to your one bedroom apartments or your parents house all us people in Boston who actually have to work for a living, can move on and not be bothered by your nonsense.
Making generalizations about people just makes it so you don’t have to deal with the issues. It’s what Nixon did with the antiwar movement in the sixties. Focus on the actions of the demonstrators, not their message so you don’t have to deal with the issues. Because human nature is such that dealing with deep issues is uncomfortable. Having to think about things in the interest of society as a whole rather than in the interest of ourselves is not easy. I get that. The fact is, however, that there is something wrong in this country and it must change now.
This movement is happening whether you like it or not because it needs to happen.
That being said, I do agree that it is time for the occupation to be over. I’m not saying that for the same reasons you are (most likely). I it say it because it was sad to see people who started off protesting a necessary cause (not “nonsense”) turned into petty [verbal] fights with police over things like tents and sinks.
Oh and for the record, I “work for a living” just like you and I also go to school full time (perhaps I just contradicted myself there). I work hard and I study hard. Oh and get this, I also shower everyday and I still support the Occupy movement fully. I am not a “hippie” either (the hippie movement is dead) and I don’t do drugs I just simply want money out the hands of my politics and out the hands of the people I rely on to give me my daily news.
Have a good night and a Merry Christmas and/or Happy Holidays. Whichever applies to you.
You may have been kicked out of Dewy square but you had many hours of media coverage. You may have lost your site but now you can focus on all the issues. Make use of the media as much as possible. Use your meetings and the web to the best of your abilities. Use the knowledge that you have and learn more about the issues as well. Stand strong and keep the peace. The support will grow much faster using the internet. I support Occupy Boston even though I can’t be there. You have so many reasons for why your fighting for something start narrowing it down. Many people I have talked to are confused as to what you all stand for. I wish you all the best of luck.
~VJ