Demonstrations with the Occupy Wall Street movement are only days away from their next staged protest and hope to reestablish a presence in Manhattan with an even slated for this weekend.
To commemorate four months to the day since Occupy Wall Street began in New York City’s Zuccotti Park, protesters will march one mile north from the since-shut-down hub of the campaign in an attempt to claim a nearby greenery to further their movement.
Protesters aim to make Duarte Square at Canal and Varick streets in Manhattan their new home. With participants in this weekend’s festivities giving law enforcement fair warning of their intentions, however, the events that will unfold on Saturday stand to be as monumental as the other landmark days of the movement.
One month earlier, protesters marched across the Brooklyn Bridge and across New York City to commemorate the anniversary of the movement. Other staged events, including the mass occupation of the city’s Times Square, yielded a police presence in the thousands and numerous arrests — some violent.
November 15’s events also included a temporary occupation of Duarte, but the property’s owners, Trinity Church, quickly kicked the protesters out. One month later, demonstrations say that they will attempt once more to occupy the space.
“We’ll make them decide whether they’re a real estate organization or a church, a place of sanctuary,” Occupy spokesman Patrick Bruner tells The Atlantic.
“Basically, the point is that, regardless of how Saturday turns out, we think the occupation of public space is an important stimulus for the movement, for spurring dialogue, and for keeping the issues in the public eye,” Occupy organizer Mark Bray adds. In the one month since the last mass protest in New York, occupation encampments faced raids and crack-downs by law enforcement in cities far and wide, including major hubs such as San Francisco and Seattle. Only Tuesday morning saw the latest raid, this time causing a crack-down on the encampment in Baltimore, Maryland.