Vancouver - On a soggy Monday, hundreds showed up at the Vancouver Art Gallery to show solidarity and support in response to the Supreme Court of BC granting the City of Vancouver permission to forcefully remove any Occupy Vancouver standing structures at the Art Gallery.
Occupy Vancouver (OV) decided to oblige the Supreme Court ruling by packing up their tents and belongings, and moving them to 800 Hornby Street - the Provincial Court itself. Hundreds took to the streets, along with some of their larger infrastructure, to march to the new OV encampment.
“We just cut our commute to court in half!” Announced an OV participant to a cheering crowd, as they began settling on their new space.
Another OV participant offered a sober reminder via the People’s Mic: “This is still unceded Indigenous territory. Remember all the ill-will brought to this continent. Remember the residential schools. Remember the late recognition of the First Nations in their own territory. And let’s be humble. And let’s compound the interests of the people, not the banks.”
In the spirit of an inclusive and participatory democratic process, another OV demonstrator shared these encouraging words. “I’d like to remind everyone that we will continue to have our general assemblies. We will continue to have them every day [at the new site]. So if you want your voice to be heard, and you want to participate in true direct democracy, I highly encourage you to come and participate; because it’s a beautiful thing!”
Just like the rain, people, tents, food and donations continued to pour into the new site of Occupy Vancouver. Once again, these people have poignantly demonstrated their ingenuity, passion, and resilience. Join them, if you can. They are the best among us.
The site for the Vancouver local of The Media Co-op has been archived and will no longer be updated. Please visit the main Media Co-op website to learn more about the organization.