On Fri Jan 20th, Occupy Baltimore participants finished their week-long Schools Not Jails Occupation at the slated $104 million 120 unit youth jail site in East Baltimore by converging at War Memorial Plaza in front of City Hall for Public Recreation Day. Demonstrators made the plaza a temporary outdoor recreation center to critique the planned privatization of over 18 city recreation centers in 2012.
On Monday, January 16th, in honor of Martin Luther King Day, Schools Not Jails, in collaboration with Occupy Baltimore and the Baltimore Algebra Project, began a 5 day occupation at the site of a proposed youth detection center.
Wednesday, Jan.18th, 2012, marked the third day of the five-day "pop-up" occupation: Schools Not Jails. This demonstration strives to bring awareness and to protest the city's proposed youth jail. While the organizers' original gameplan had been to occupy the site of the proposed youth jail 'round the clock, from Monday-Saturday, by Wednesday the strategy had dramatically shifted.
On Monday, Jan.19th, 2012, a.k.a - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, The Indypendent Reader caught up with Lester Spence, at the kick-off action for the Schools Not Jails five-day "pop-up" occupation.
On January 16th, Occupy Baltimore and the Baltimore Algebra Project, along with a enthusiastic crowd of supporters and allies, marched on the site of the proposed youth detention center in East Baltimore, and erected a wooden schoolhouse on the site to call attention to spending priorities that favor incarceration instead of education. Indyreader was on the scene to report:
Scroll through photos for more. Casey McKeel and Spencer Compton contributed to this article.
The movement to physically stop evictions and foreclosures made its debut in Baltimore on Tuesday, January 10th outside of the West Baltimore home of Lila Kara. Nearly 100 people associated with Occupy Baltimore assembled early in the morning to stop a Deutsch Bank foreclosure order against her house.
Lila Kara's home at 1433 W. Lombard Street is the subject of a foreclosure proceeding. On Saturday, Jan. 8, 2012, a rally was held in front of her home. Her case is pending in the Maryland Court of Special Appeals. Nevertheless, the bank is pushing to have the Sheriff of Baltimore City evict her this Tuesday, January 10, 2012, at or around 10 AM.
On Wed. morning, Dec. 14, 2011, a press conference was called by concerned members of the African American Clergy. It was held in Washington, DC at the National Press Club. Speaking on camera, in this video, are: Rev. Dr. Jamal Bryant, David DeGraw, Dr. Benjamin Chavis, Jr., Sgt. Shamar Thomas and Kevin Zeese.
This morning at 3am Baltimore City Riot Police blocked off the roads surrounding McKeldin Square, the site of Occupy Baltimore, and moved in to evict the ten-week old encampment. No arrests nor injuries were reported as the roughly 50 people at the site were quickly forced to pack up their things and leave.
An emergency General Assembly is to be held at McKeldin Square at 10am today.
Indyreader will keep you up to date with developments as they happen.
