New group prepares Occupy shifts

A Google document in which people can schedule time to occupy Peoples Park will be made following the first Occupy IU meeting Thursday at the Indiana Memorial Union.

Instead of leaving their comfort zone entirely, people will be able to sign up and give a definite time for when they can occupy.

“It’s not about getting rough. People aren’t expected to live like they’re homeless,” said occupier Daniel Bingham. “It’s about maintaining a space.”

Bingham arrived at the meeting after finishing a shift at work. In the table-filled room near the Back Alley, more than 60 people sat in a circle, on chairs and on the floor, discussing ways to get more students involved in the occupation movement and future plans for the Peoples Park occupiers.

“I came in late, but I heard mention of temporary occupation,” Bingham said to the crowd. “People occupying need a break to sleep in their beds. People could rotate in for a night at a time so we can keep a constant presence.”

Around the circle, people wiggled their fingers above their heads, a silent way of showing agreement instead of clapping.

One of the main reasons senior Justinian Dispenza and occupier Joseph Klatt facilitated the Occupy IU meeting was to bring the meaning of the occupation movement directly to the students.

“When we were setting up occupation, it was between Dunn Meadow and Peoples Park,” Dispenza said. “We decided on Peoples Park because of its rich history.”
Unfortunately, students don’t always spend time off campus and may not know about the protest, Dispenza said.

At the meeting, Klatt mentioned another concern.

“It’s getting cold,” he said. “I don’t know if people want to camp out. Do we want to think about an inside space as well?”

“It’s difficult to get students to camp outside, especially in freezing weather,” someone else said.

“We’re looking into buying a $2,000 military tent that’s 50 feet wide,” one Peoples Park occupier said. “So, that’d be really hard to fit in Peoples Park.”

Currently, about 70 people can sleep in the tents in the park, but most nights, only 20 to 30 protesters sleep there.

But Dispenza said the purpose of the meeting wasn’t to set up a new occupy site or force people to start sleeping outside. Instead, he wanted to begin a discussion with interested students and faculty.

Minutes before the meeting began, Steve Veldkamp, assistant dean of students, dropped off sheets of blue paper titled “Information about Students’ Right to Protest.”

“I have a few business cards that I can give to the leaders, or are you all leaders?” he said looking around the circle.

“We’re all facilitators,” Dispenza said.

“Okay, I’ll just leave these here for anyone to take, then,” Veldkamp said, placing a stack of blue papers and business cards on a table before leaving.

“IU’s technically not all free speech,” Dispenza said as Veldkamp left. “You have to protest in designated free speech zones.”

The speech zone issue was brought up again later in the meeting.

“All of campus should be a free speech zone,” one protester said.

“The whole city should be a free speech zone,” someone else added.

Though no further decisions were made at the meeting, Occupy IU will meet again to continue discussions at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the same place.