Occupy Winnipeg
Occupy Winnipeg began in Memorial Park in that city on October 15.
The Winnipeg Free Press reports today, “Hundreds visit here, but only a couple of dozen regularly sleep out; the camp is still, at its heart, a ragged cluster of tents circled around a fire, its boundaries demarcated by banners protesting ‘corporate greed’ and a sign bearing an invitation to ‘Come and Talk’. …As the logistics fall into place, activity at the camp is awakening. On Tuesday night, a delegation from the Council of Canadians arrives to host a meeting on hot-button issues, including the Canadian-European Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement they argue will put Canadian communities ‘up for sale’. The lively discussion is interrupted by a cheerful blond (from Occupy Vancouver who is on her way to Ottawa) bearing a special delivery (a gift of two pizzas). …As darkness deepens, some of the Occupiers scatter, headed back to warm beds and school and jobs. Those who stay huddle in groups debating (at times) trade policies… The talking is what keeps the Occupiers here.”
On October 15, the first day of the occupation, the Winnipeg Free Press reported, “Hundreds of Manitobans gathered near Portage and Main this afternoon as part of Occupy Winnipeg, one of a number of Canadian protests organized in support of the Occupy Wall Street movement. …The crowd gathered in the square in front of 201 Portage Ave., formerly Canwest Place, under sunny skies following a march from the Legislative Building. Supporters held up cardboard placards and peacefully listened to speeches. …Earlier in the day, organizer Trevor Semotok rallied the crowd by telling them the event has no single leader and no single issue. Everyone has a voice and shares an equal responsibility to safeguard democratic freedoms, said Semotok, from the Council of Canadians.”
Their Facebook page says, “We have set up camp to last the winter to bring together and maintain the Winnipeg chapter of the decentralized nonviolent resistance movement against the greed and corruption of the richest 1% of the population; also known as OCCUPY WINNIPEG!!”
For more on Occupy Winnipeg, please go to http://www.occupy-winnipeg.com/.
