8.01.2012

New England, Fall 2011


Autumn in Vermont

Mariƫ in Gloucester

in Jamaica Plain

Lowell Lake, Vermont...

Island in Boston Harbor

In Boston's financial district...

Occupy Boston in Dewey Square

Occupy Boston encampment

After a few months, Boston's Occupy protest seemed to be the only live-in Occupation in an American city that had not been disturbed by law enforcement. There were cops always present, but the occupiers share snacks and coffee with them. The protest ostensibly had a good relationship with Mayor Menino and the Rose Kennedy Conservancy, the non-profit that actually controls the occupied space. However, the encampment grew to such a large size, (with food tents, medic tent, meditation tent, Press tent, sign tent, donations tent, recycling, compost and trash areas, etc.), the protesters needed more space. Soon, dozens of tents sprung up across Congress Street on the continuation of the Rose Kennedy Greenway - and the Conservancy was not thrilled. They had recently spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in renovating the green space with new sculptures and landscaping and didn't want the second location to become another urban tent city. The police warned the occupiers that they would be arrested if they stayed. The meeting pictured here ensued to decide on a plan of staying or going. Later, in the middle of the night, police stormed the north encampment arresting over 100 protesters. The police didn't bother the south encampment across the street.


Meetings were conducted utilizing the human microphone: repeating en masse what the speaker says. The occupiers' opinions are certainly varied. But I think two recurring sentiments are: Humans should be treated as more precious than money. And corporations should not have the same legal rights as people.

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