Supporters of Occupy Boston recently became aware of a letter from the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy  (RKGC) which calls on the police to “remove the occupiers” from Dewey Square. The patch of land that makes up the square is owned by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, and the RKGC are the stewards of it.

The letter  is dated November 8.

Volunteers from Occupy Boston, the National Lawyer’s Guild, and the American Civil Liberties Union sat down for a meeting to discuss health, safety, sanitation, the Dewey Square Farmer’s Market, winterization, and legal concerns with RKGC executives on November 9. In that meeting, the RKGC made no mention of its November 8 letter, even though the letter clearly calls on the police to “remove the occupiers.” Relations were amicable among all of the  parties present at the meeting.

What this means for the occupation in Dewey Square is now being vigorously discussed.

Mayors Menino and Bloomberg, who have been working together since 2006 on federal gun-control legislation.

Some are saying that no police crackdown is immanent because the letter is over a week old and was written before a Boston judge recently granted a temporary injunction barring the city and police from removing the occupiers. Others are arguing that injunctions will not prevent a crackdown because mayor Bloomberg disregarded a similar injunction to remove the occupiers from Liberty Plaza in NYC, and then got a judge to over-rule an injunction that was to pave the way for the protestors return to the plaza.

The Boston judge who issued the injunction has also ordered a mediation between the City, the BPD, RKGC, and Occupy Boston.

This has posed a difficult question for the occupiers: How does a “leaderless” movement that strives for transparency, openness, and democracy react to a court order to “mediate” (presumably behind closed doors) with forces that have already cracked down on Occupy Boston and have issued a letter calling on the police to “remove the occupiers” from Dewey Square?

*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, November 16, 2011*
Contacts: OccupyBostonMedia@gmail.com
Twitter: @OccupyBOS_media

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Today, after a three hour hearing Suffolk Superior Court Judge Frances A. McIntyre ruled in favor of Occupy Boston, granting the movement a temporary injunction. The order, brought to court by the ACLU and NLG, will restrict Boston city officials, including the Boston Police Department, from breaking up Occupy Boston and evicting protesters from Dewey Square. The order also prevents officials from removing tents and personal property.

After the hearing, Occupy Boston attorney Howard M. Cooper said, “The crux of the issue was the concern that they [Occupy Boston] will be kicked out before they have a chance to be heard . . . . Now, they have a chance to be heard.” Cooper also said that after today’s ruling he felt confident that the judge would also rule in favor of the protesters at the December 1st hearing.

Occupy Boston is very pleased by this ruling and thanks the City of Boston and the Boston Police Department in advance for adhering to the court order. The protesters at Dewey Square respect the court’s decision and look forward to an ongoing dialogue with the city about the current concerns shared by both parties.

Today’s ruling truly demonstrates the power the 99% has when demanding their First Amendment Rights be protected. Furthermore, by prohibiting officials from removing tents and property the court has affirmed that the medium is indeed the message, and physical encampments are a form of free expression protected by law.

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Occupy Boston is the beginning of an ongoing discussion about reforming Wall Street, removing special interests from government, and much more. The continuing occupation of Dewey Square—located outside of South Station in the heart of Boston’s Financial District—is just one of more than 500 separate Occupy encampments in cities across the world and a symbol for “Occupiers” everywhere who support real and lasting change.

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Website: OccupyBoston.org

Following an unlawful and disturbing early morning crackdown by the New York Police Department on Occupy Wall Street, the international occupy movement is planning a major day of action on November 17^th. Despite escalating, coordinated repression, the peaceful pursuit of economic justice continues to spread throughout the globe. On November 17^th, communities everywhere will engage in daylong protests demanding accountability on Wall Street and in government, and in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street

As of this writing, there are over two-hundred arrests in New York, including city councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, as well as reporters for the New York Times, the Associated Press, the New York Daily News and others. All arrests were made despite a court-order granting the protestors the right to stay in the park. Elsewhere, Denver police continue a sustained campaign of violence against occupiers, while Oakland, Phoneix, London, Toronto and Calgary are also facing unilateral action by the police.

Occupy Boston stands proudly in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street, and with all the occupations around the world. Tonight at 7pm we will be having an emergency GA focused on the eviction and to further plan our response. Please join us.

We are the 99%, and we are no longer silent.

[Via ACLU website]

Civil rights advocates seek protection for peaceful protest at Occupy Boston