Occupy by permission

It’s dark outside and I can hear the wind threshing the trees across the road.  I am fully dressed, sitting here in bed even though it’s early enough for the central heating still to be doing its morning stint. I’m so cold, I want to wail, pointlessly, to the world.  Down in Lancaster’s Dalton Square it’s colder; the few tented Occupy dwellers are mainly still asleep, while those on 4-8am guard are yawning and trying to keep themselves awake for another half hour, till the end of their shift.  Outside the morning traffic is beginning to roar up the one way system and early workers are battling through the wind. Few of them spare a passing glance for the tented encampment.   

It will be a hard work day at Occupy.  The heavy rain has gathered in pools on the paving stones and will need to be swept away.  Rubbish blown by the wind, dropped by passers-by has to be collected, sorted, recycled till the area is spotless.  The damage to tents, bedding, notices, the Christmas tree, all has to be repaired.  Some will be on to the physical sweeping, fetching, carrying, others onto the Facebook site to organise some donations or help.  They must be fully prepared for the daily visit from council officers, police and fire service.  All this plus the talking to determined visitors and curious shoppers, writing letters for local businesses and planning the programme of events and workshops with those regular Occupy members who don’t live in the Square, but are coming and going to fit in uni work, family time, the usual commitments of everyday life.

There are two Facebook sits for Occupy Lancaster and I must admit to having become a bit of a Facebook watcher in respect of them.  One of them seems at first sight to be a big barney about whose opinion gets to be expressed and how.  It struggles with issues over bad language, lack of respect for each other, racist and sexist comments, power.  Clearly there have been troubles and challenges from people attracted to Occupy who don’t understand the movement – and why would you if you are homeless and don’t have access to the 24 hour media?  Other people just seem to like online arguments.  It has changed – developed and recently you can see an emerging thread of respect, self control and genuine debate over the future.  The other Facebook site is for supporting the Occupiers with food and equipment, time and imagination.  The relationships are down to earth, affectionate and efficient – people who stray into debate go, ”oh no!” and disappear off to the other site. The contrast between the sites is amazing and it was one of the things that made me want to understand more, to go down and really engage – give something more than a cheery hello as I passed by.

So last night I went to the Occupy General Assembly for the first time, clutching my donation – a tin of banana muffins (pretty much 100% local ingredients, before you ask, apart from the bananas!).  The big mess tent was full, carpeted, with a gas heater to take off the chill, lit dimly by four candles, safely enclosed in glass jars.  Someone gave up a chair for me and 5 minutes later a plate of curry, courtesy of wonderful Lithanian cook, Alex, arrived.  A few of the people there were familiar, a friend from Transition, a Green Party councillor, some of the homeless and street people I meet on a Saturday night when out Street Pastoring.  I put my item on the agenda – Transition blog ok? Two of the youngest people there, students, were quietly facilitating the proceedings, someone else took minutes, everyone’s point of view was heard and encouraged.  One of the street people now at Occupy was struggling, with the talk, with having to wait his turn, keep to the agenda.  He was cajoled, encouraged, told the rules and told the rules some more; he came in and out, grumbling “too many rules”.  Everyone was good humoured, confident, respectful- what could have been disruptive was clearly no big deal.  We were enclosed by sense of trust and community which when my item came up was immediately extended to me – you want to blog about us? Yay, hands were up and fingers were waggling in the air to say “we agree” the Occupy way.  They were pretty complimentary about the muffins too.

Later on that evening, at a Green Party public meeting, Han, one of Occupy Lancaster’s founders was asked to talk about what was going on in Dalton Square. Yes it was a protest against the entrenched and vested interests that control our lives. A visible sign, here as in New York, Norwich or Chile, that people do not agree to the harm inflicted on the poor by the way bank debt is being handled. Part of the “explosion of popular voice,” as Pete, another of the Occupy Lancaster members put it. Yes it embraced many of the issues and concerns of climate change and resource depletion.  Yes, yes. But above all occupying that little bit of public land has created opportunity for community.  Young people are taking the lead, street people are giving up the drink,  keeping the site ship shape. “People are changing,” Han said, “People are gaining confidence; people are blossoming.”

Occupy has no right to be there, in the centre of Lancaster, overlooked by a disdainful Queen Victoria in the graceful island of formal gardens that fronts the Town Hall. The city council made that clear from the start – “You are an illegal encampment”.  However they also made it clear they had no intention to evict the camp and would, with the police and fire service, work to ensure the Occupy encampment was safe. Lancaster full marks, City of London nul points.  Occupy has no rights, it is permissory but what it is doing with that little bit of permission on that little bit of land is amazing, life changing and a message to all of us in Transition to do the same. To stake out a plot, make a protest, plant a garden but above all to make sure everyone, yes everyone, in our community is confident to share it.

 Pictures of Occupy Lancaster by Rick and other Occupiers - many thanks