The Cost of Living

Forget by-laws, let’s talk right and wrong.

Bianca Muller

Media discussion of Occupy Wall Street has been frustrating, tiptoeing around the big picture with the technicalities of municipal law and other spin-off issues. Coverage of Occupy NS itself has dwindled into arguments over the handling of the Victoria Park eviction and the treatment of those arrested.

By-law P-600 states that camping is not allowed in public parks. Shouldn’t we be asking why laws like this exist in the first place? Or why they are pulling rank over the spirit of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms?

The Eviction of Occupy Nova Scotia (Mini-Doc)

The Eviction of Occupy Nova Scotia (Mini-Doc) from Nicolas James on Vimeo.

Audio from Police Eviction of Occupy Nova Scotia Protesters

As promised – apologies for the poor quality

UPDATE: At least 14 protesters have been arrested (cbc) – read our original post here

Clip 1: A young man and girl both just emerged from a fistfight with the police. Young man says he was trying to stop the police from arresting his friend who had just been sitting there – protesters chant in the background.

Clip 2: Kyle Buott, President of the Halifax-Dartmouth and District Labour Council

Clip 3: Two protesters describe what’s happening in Victoria Park

Occupy Nova Scotia Protest Shut Down by Halifax Regional Police

Bill McEwen
On Remembrance Day, in the middle of a windstorm, more than 30 police officers from the Halifax Regional Police descended on Victoria Park to evict, by order of Mayor Peter Kelly, the Occupy Nova Scotia movement that had been living there since Tuesday.

A protester jammed in the mud being arrested

At least four people were arrested, some dragged through the mud, for engaging in peaceful protest. Police began tearing tents down early this afternoon, bundling them in garbage bags and stuffing them in the back of a large white truck. Protesters chanted “Shame”, “Solidarity”, and attempted to stand their ground as orange-coated police squads pushed them off.

A short video by goldford23 shows more:

The protesters had moved to Victoria Park from Grand Parade, where they had been living since October 15th, out of respect for the city’s Remembrance Day Ceremonies. They were planning on returning tomorrow.

Audio Clips and BeaconVJ footage to follow.

Occupy NS: Social Experimentation on Grand Parade Square

The General Assembly of Occupy Nova Scotia shivered and coughed its way through two hours of grueling, meandering discussion on Thursday. They do this every night starting at 7 p.m., rain or shine, at the base of the Cenotaph in Halifax’s Grand Parade. It’s a forum used by the core group of protesters (but open to the public) to continue to build on the micro-culture that they have helped establish. Bill McEwen went to the meeting to get a sense of how the group governs itself.

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Bill McEwen
03 Nov 2011, Halifax Grand Parade

Participants in tonight’s General Assembly cluster on the southern steps of the war memorial. There are 50 tents on the grass at Grand Parade, but only 22 people show up for the start of the meeting. The assembly huddles together with fraying blankets, sleeping bags and as many layers of clothing as they can find. Those who stand have their hats pulled down low and hoods cinched. Their shoulders droop and their hands are jammed deep into their pockets. Nearby city street lamps cast long shadows over the group. They are weary.