BPD Supt. William Evans surrounded and mic checked by Occupy Boston.
A pickup truck delivered a $1,350 winterized, fireproof tent to Occupy Boston today. And about 20 minutes later, picked it up again.
Protesters had decided, before the tent arrived, they would not fight, as they had a few days earlier for a sink, but would instead accede to the city demand, to show the hypocrisy of officials who say the encampment is unsafe but won't let the occupiers take major steps to increase safety. City officials say the tent is large enough that it would require a permit, but that they're not going to allow it in even if Occupy Boston applied for one.
When the tent, wrapped in plastic, arrived on the Summer Street side of the plaza, it was quickly met by police and fire brass, who in turn were quickly surrounded by protesters and a throng of media types. After a few minutes of discussion - relayed across the crowd through a "human mic" relay, the city officials walked away.
One protester climbed onto the unwrapped tent to lead the crowd in a chant of "This is what hypocrisy looks like." Another climbed up to extol the virtues of the tent, in particular its flame-retardant properties.
Then, the protesters softly sang "We Shall Overcome" as they wheeled the tent over to the corner of Atlantic and Summer for pickup.
Lenny Mather, who bought the tent, explains why.
Media get one last look at the tent as it's driven away.
Like the job UHub is doing? Consider a contribution. Thanks!
Ad: