Thanksgiving may be a time of transition for Occupy Charlottesville. The movement is debating whether to physically decamp from its current base in Lee Park for the winter, with the idea of coming back stronger and better organized in early spring.
Occupier Evan Knappenberger said the idea has been loosely discussed in the camp, and it’s something that will continue to be talked about at every general assembly until a consensus is reached.
Knappenberger isn’t afraid that leaving the camp will jeopardize the movement.
“It doesn’t mean that we are not going to be doing other things; we are still going to be out protesting, holding signs, doing marches, having parades,” said Knappenberger. “It doesn’t mean that we will be shutting down for the winter, absolutely not.”
Knappenberger added that a winter spent strategizing and effectively organizing should help the movement regroup and come back to a stronger position and perhaps in a different location.
“This is proof to the community that we are serious. It’s the proof to the media and the city that we are serious. It’s proof to us that we are serious and that we are able to do this and the next step is to do something long-term and really hardcore,” he said.
Brian Daly, director of the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation, confirmed that Knappenberger told him that the movement “expected to wind down peacefully” in the weeks leading to Thanksgiving.
The movement has been in “constant” contact with city police, and even asked for heavier patrolling at night when as one occupier said, the atmosphere gets “tense.”
According to Lt. Ronnie Roberts, public information officer with Charlottesville Police, aside from the three recent arrests at Lee Park, the protest has been peaceful.
“We haven’t had any problems,” he told
C-VILLE. “On the overall basis, they have been able to push their position, and from our stand point, we want to make sure that they have a safe environment to be there in the park.”
Occupier Shawna Murphy said getting some donated office space close to the Downtown Mall or Lee Park might help establish the movement’s headquarters and be a presence within the community.
“I think we can have a lot more occupiers in the park in the spring and good publicity and good will from the city and the community and we can work with the local government and empower ourselves, because this is our town, too,” she said.
Knappenberger is supportive of establishing headquarters with an office, but he is “wary” of the movement turning away from its grassroots origins.
“We don’t want to be like the Tea Party as a political entity, we do not want to raise lots of money, we do not want to have candidates, we do not want to have lobbyists,” he said.
The group’s permit to occupy Lee Park is currently renewed every three days and can be extended until Thanksgiving.
After that, Occupy Charlottesville will have to decide whether it can survive as an occupying movement.