Cities Want Their Parks Back

In occupied cities across North America, sanitation and noise concerns, as well as conflicts over scheduled public uses of parks, are leading to official efforts to end the protests.

1 minute read

October 27, 2011, 11:00 AM PDT

By Michael Dudley


The Associated Press is reporting that cities are beginning to lose patience with the Occupy movement, which has taken over public parks and spaces, with no end in sight. The harsh police response in Oakland has been an exception, but other efforts are underway to dislodge the crowds:

"The mayor of Providence, Rhodes Island, is threatening to go to court within days to evict demonstrators from a park. And businesses and residents near New York's Zuccotti Park, the unofficial headquarters of the movement that began in mid-September, are demanding something be done to discourage the hundreds of protesters from urinating in the street and making noise at all hours."

In Canada there is a similar situation, although there has been no violence:

"There are signs patience is starting to wear thin with the Occupy movements across Canada, as officials in several cities are signalling to protesters the communities want to reclaim their public spaces. While the small band of campers in Winnipeg's Memorial Park have been left alone so far, occupiers in other cities have been given deadlines to leave, though there are no signs authorities are considering approaches more extreme than asking nicely."

Tuesday, October 25, 2011 in Winnipeg Free Press

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