Note: this diary, particularly the comment thread, now stands as testimony to what occurred last night in Boston. A hearty thank you to those who remained up, late into the night, to watch and record what happened.
The remainder of this diary will remain as testimony to the situation both before, and after, BPD moved in.
-§-
After a massive #OccupyBoston march today that numbered approximately 10,000, Police are mobilizing to arrest those who have established a "tent city" in an expanded area outside the original camp, which is currently at capacity.
-§-
For background on today's events and the expansion of the tent encampment that is leading to tonight's potentially devastating situation, see ryepower12's diary and Rec. it.
-§-
Here is the Twitter feed for @Occupy_Boston. As of 11:00 pm EST, activists are currently pleading for people to:
1) Contact the Boston Police Department at 617-343-4200 and demand that the amassed forces allow the protesters to peacefully remain.
2) Come down and add to the camp or bear witness with cameras. For those living in Boston, they need more people to come down to the Rose Kennedy Greenway, next to Dewey Square, where the second encampment began today.
For those following the LiveStream and the @Occupy_Boston Twitter feed (as well as #occupyboston), please give updates in the comments and use that forum as the LiveBlog, as I won't be doing a LiveBlog in the body.
-§-
This is the Boston Police scanner feed, which you can follow for updates on when and where the police will be mobilizing.
Below is the LiveStream of this second camp from above, around which police are mobilizing. Boston's Channels 5 & 7 are reportedly on scene as well.
Here is the updated post on the Occupy Boston site describing what has led up to this today:
On Monday, October 10, 2011, 10,000 people marched from Boston Common to Dewey Square to the North Washington Bridge in support of Occupy Boston and to demand fundamental and lasting economic and political reform.. At the same time, Occupy Boston expanded to an adjoining section of the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy to accommodate the many hundreds of people who come daily to join the occupation. This peaceful expansion was undertaken to make a place for everyone in our movement.
At approximately 18:00 the Boston Police Department informed Occupy Boston that if they did not clear the site by nightfall, they would be forcibly removed. In response, Occupy Boston has issued a renewed call for any and all people to join the occupation as soon as possible. From the beginning, occupiers have worked tirelessly to maintain a positive working relationship with city officials. Today’s threats by the Boston Police Department represent a sudden shift away from that dialogue. Since making camp on September 30, Occupy Boston has maintained that it will non-violently resist any attempt to end the protest before we have achieved the change we seek.
The outpouring of public support demonstrates that Occupy Boston’s message of bringing economic reform to Wall Street and ending the influence of special interests on government. This message has resonated nationwide. According to a recent poll by Rasmussen, 79% of Americans agree with the occupiers that “The big banks got bailed out but the middle class got left behind.” Rasmussen also reported that the movement boasts higher favorability ratings than Congress or the Tea Party.
Occupy Boston stands united with over 120 similar Occupy protests, which have sprung up across the nation since Occupy Wall Street began just over three weeks ago. We seek the restoration of the social rights to housing, healthcare and education. We demand an end to the endemic, international corruption of our legislative bodies by corporate interests. Speaking only the words we have been taught, we ask for freedom, justice, and equality. We will be satisfied with nothing less.
“We are the 99 percent and we are no longer silent.”
-§-
----------------------------------
Follow me on Twitter @David_EHG
----------------------------------
-§-
Update: Thank you to everyone who bore witness to this and documented what you were reading/seeing in the comments. It was critical to have as many people, in as many different places, bringing attention to this and documenting it, particularly given that the police tried to wait as late as possible until acting. The video posted in the comments and in Horace Boothroyd III's post of police attacking Veterans for Peace is unconscionable.
This screen grab from Eileen B. leaves me shaken: