3 homeless people arrested for camping near Boulder Municipal Building

The City of Boulder is obviously trying to crack down and intimidate us by arresting our members for things that are normally just tickets. This is the time to get serious. We need direct actions targeted at the Boulder City Council, Boulder County Commissioners, Boulder PD and anyone else who tries to shut us down by intimidation. We want to play nice. They want to intimidate us into silence.

Did everyone notice how the attitude of the police has changed since the camping started? They even seem to have plain clothed officers monitoring the encampment every time I go by. There is something about occupying a public space that threatens the power structure. That is why it is so vital. We can invite semi-celebrities to give heart warming speeches and do marches until the cows come home and it will not change anything.

It is time we became an Occupy Group not the Green Party.

Do others agree with me? Thoughts? Opinions?

Hi Chris,

This is hilarious. They were arrested "on suspicion of camping." Next, we'll see people arrested for thinking about camping. Is this the time to draw the line in the sand? I think, as an organization, we are still wobbly legged. The attorney that was quoted for them has been highly recommended for this kind of case. They are in good hands. When the time is right to draw a line in the sand, I'm hoping that we have a well-developed contingency plan in place that includes the recall elected officials once they have enough of these absurd events attached to them. Is that too close to a Green Party approach? There was some limited success with this approach in Wisconsin - success, but not quite enough to regain control of the legislature.

Cliff

Yes Chris I am with you.... I feel that we need to get as large a group together as possible and occupy for the night, preferably with a local semi-celebrity to stand with us for the cause. This will make a statement to them that we are not to be intimidated. I already have a friend ready to bail me out...... I really can't believe this local government, one minute cooperative, the next hmmmmm..... makes you really think twice about the conspiracy theories about government control and wanting to subjugate us. OCCUPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'll add my support to overnight as well, although the idea of a "celebrity" doesn't ring to me. I think our society is far too dependent on celebrity status as it is. I've gone through some mixed feelings about how the homeless are mixing with the occupation and know others have as well. In one way, it may hurt our message if the "type" of people there don't look suitably middle class. But I think I've settled in to the view that homelessness is such a crime in our society of plenty that there's tremendous merit in throwing it in the face of the Pearl Street shoppers. I'd think maybe we gain the most if we combine a great turnout of politically oriented occupiers with whatever homeless wish to join us.

I think the key is to have a large number of us commit to occupying on a specific day.

Jim

Cliff - not too green party at all. I like the question you brought up - whether now is the time or not. I think it is clear the city and county are against us. The question is now our strategy and tactics on how to fight back. They have shown their power. When and how do we show them our power?

That is something that does not need to happen on a public internet forum. I think we need to discuss something at the next Direct Action mtg and make sure no plain clothed police officers are listening next time.

Chris,

I appreciate the danger you see in allowing the police to know what we're planning, but I for one am OK with that risk. One of the core values I've been bringing to this movement is the idea of radical openness and transparency. So much of the abuses of our government and corporations simply would not be possible if our systems of control conducted themselves in such a manner. I think transparency is a vital means by which we can distinguish ourselves from "old politics" and help to forge some "new politics".