Hundreds Gather At McKeldin Square As City Declares Occupation Illegal

Over 250 people came to Occupy Baltimore Tuesday to support the space in light of a possible order to leave.

Though no tensions with the City proceeded the meeting and ongoing dialogue over permit details has existed between Occupy Baltimore and the City, the Baltimore Sun reported at 7:00 pm that City Hall had ruled the overnight protest illegal. As of midnight tonight, those staying in the park are breaking the law and could be subject to arrest.

During the general assembly, participants went through a list of demands from the City that Occupy Baltimore would have to adhere to to receive a permit to stay. Those demands included a provision stating that only two people and one tent would be permitted over night. The general assembly, which includes all present and operate by full-consensus, rejected this and several other provisions that they said were too opposed to the spirit of the occupation.

As of 2:00 am, no police were on the scene and there was no imminent threat of a situation. But participants at the park are certainly preparing for such a moment to come.

As the meeting ended, word came that a 2,000-strong Occupy Oakland march was being brutally attacked by police. The crowd was marching to reclaim their park after a 5:00 am raid by riot-police entered the encampment and trashed it, arresting 90 people in the process.

A few minutes later, word came that Occupy Atlanta was also being raided by police. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, up to 50 people have been arrested there including Sen. Vincent Fort (D-Atlanta) and former Atlanta city councilman Derrick Boazman.

As things heat up around the country, many here in Baltimore are nervously anticipating the coming week, which will end with a large “Haunted Harbor” human rights march on Sunday led by the United Workers.

See www.occupybmore.org for more info on Occupy Baltimore.