Occupy RVA chooses Monroe Park as new location
The Richmond and state police’s Halloween raid of Kanawha Plaza left Occupy Richmond largely displaced. Since then, the group has been holding their daily general assemblies chiefly around VCU’s Monroe Park Campus.
Occupy Richmond has been conducting their general assembly meetings in VCU's Compass to try to pick a new location for occupation. Various locations were discussed, including re-occupying Kanawha Plaza and creating a nomadic location. Ultimately, the group decided on occupying Monroe Park beginning Wednesday, Nov. 9.
Charlie Couch
Contributing Writer
Goodbye Kanawha. Hello Monroe.
The Richmond and state police’s Halloween raid of Kanawha Plaza left Occupy Richmond largely displaced. Since then, the group has been holding their daily general assemblies chiefly around VCU’s Monroe Park Campus.
During their meeting Saturday, the collective finally came to consensus on their next occupation location: Monroe Park.
Occupiers plan to march to the park Wednesday evening and continue the local extension of the international Occupy Together movement, according a recent post on OccupyRVA.org by William Carino, a member of the group’s media team.
“At 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9, we will meet at Gallery 5 on 200 W. Marshall St.,” Carino said in the post. “There we will screen a short documentary on the Occupy Richmond movement called All Night, All Day,’ created by fellow Occupier Kontra. After the film, we will march down to Monroe Park and begin our Occupation!”
While many protesters at Saturday’s general assembly were ready to take action, others still had some reservations.
Chris Gillus was one occupier arrested Halloween morning and the first to receive bond.
As a member of the collective’s outreach team, Gillus said he has some growing concern over others’ opinion that Richmond’s portion of the national movement is purely student-based.
“I can say for a fact that a lot of people that I communicate with aren’t even students,” Gillus said. “But from the outside I can see how that perception would start.”
Occupying Monroe Park may cause this image to increase due to the park’s affiliation with VCU, Gillus said. To counteract this, Gillus said he’s been pushing to reach more diverse communities in the city.
“If were truly going to be the 99 percent, I want to see this park full,” Gillus said. “I want to see a rainbow of faces out here. I want see people from all different backgrounds and cultures.”
On the Occupy Richmond’s website, Carino echoed this sentiment: “The larger the group, the more successful our occupation will be! WE NEED EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU TO BE THERE.”
Greg Gunter was another protester arrested the night of the raid. Gunter said he doesn’t think that the full scope of the cost and benefits for Monroe Park have been discussed before the general assembly.
“If (Monroe Park) is what everyone wants to do, I have to support it,” Gunter said. “Wherever we occupy, I’m going to try to support it as best I can, but there’s been concerns expressed that haven’t been given full voice.”
Gunter said he plans to withhold his full opinion of the location choice until he learns more about these concerns.
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Photos by Charlie Couch
