[Street] [Occupy Boston] Urgent Request for Offsite Housing -- please read and forward widely!
Katie Gradowski
katie.gradowski at gmail.com
Thu Dec 8 09:36:32 EST 2011
As many of you know, yesterday evening the temporary restraining order was
lifted that protected the Occupy Boston Dewey Square encampment from a
raid, leaving it open to exposure of eviction and clearing. We fully
expect this to be the case, given the recent evictions of Occupies in other
cities.
*In the event of a raid, we are looking for temporary spaces for one, two,
or three weeks for houseless activists at Occupy Boston. * Many shelters
have already opened their doors and made space available, but these are
widely distributed and there are not enough beds for everyone. Members
of Occupy Boston's Safety Team are working with these individuals to make
sure they are able to safely get offsite, and would accompany individuals
offsite in the event of a raid.
*
Please note: This is a temporary solution, not a permanent encampment. *
It is especially important to have a temporary space night-of, for people
who cannot be arrested and need a place to stay. If you work with
homeless advocacy services and have beds available, please let us know that
as well.
*We are ALSO looking for more permanent spaces to house Occupy Boston, in
part or in whole, through the winter. * Our aim is not to continue the
encampment for its own sake, but to find a long-term space where we can
organize without constant threat of eviction, so that the encampment will
not merely be a drain on our resources, but a vital site for old and new
activists to come together to organize and plan next steps with the aim of
decamping in the spring.
*
We are considering all options -- church space, housing, meeting space,
rotating encampments* -- and would love to meet with anyone who is able to
offer short or long-term support in this regard. Of particular interest
are sites that are able to offer indoor and outdoor space (to maintain the
visibility of the tent city) as well as the ability to host working groups
for meetings. We are well aware of the danger of overdrawing resources,
and would work closely with anyone interested in providing support to make
sure that we are not overstaying our welcome or abusing the goodwill of the
community around us.
If you are able to provide space in ANY capacity - or if you know of
someone who might -- please get in touch with Katie Gradowski or Anna
Aizman as soon as possible.
Many thanks to all for your continued support!
Katie Gradowski
410-967-5207
Occupy Boston Outreach Working Group
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