mellowtigger: (changed priorities)
mellowtigger ([personal profile] mellowtigger) wrote2011-10-02 01:16 pm
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the plaza layout

I took photographs of the occupation's plaza this morning. The whole gallery is here. The plaza includes interesting neighbors like US Bank. Only 2 blocks away is a major newspaper headquarters, the Star Tribune.  (If you'd like to donate money to this effort, they are collecting donations at this url, as of 2011 Oct 02: https://www.wepay.com/donate/36134 .)

The north side is mostly paved with lots of lighting and trash bins.

northside panorama leftnorthside panorama right

The south side is mostly grass with many shade trees along the landscaped circumference.

southside panorama leftsouthside panorama right

The plaza includes a sculpture with these interesting quotes (among others):
ability to voice unpopular opinions
including the working poor
voices actually being heard

Someone has already chalked graffiti on a neighbor's sidewalk at the county Public Safety headquarters:
free everyone

sculpturegraffiti: free everyone

There are only a few rules posted around the plaza:
no parking
no cigarettes
no pets without leashes

rules: tobacco and petsrules: parking

Since I'm on the Sanitation committee, I also noted the presence of many trash bins already at the north side of the plaza.  Fewer ones were found on the south side.

northside trash cans

I really hope that we can pull this off without breaking any rules at all.  As someone at yesterday's planning meeting said, however:
I don't know how you get a permit for an indefinite occupation.

True enough.

One particular difficulty here in Minnesota that other occupation sites will not face is the cold Minnesota winter.  Seeing how the sunlight reached the ground this morning, I think the best spot for overnighters will be at the northside plaza in the northwest corner.  Morning light may reach there earlier than any other location considering buildings and trees that cast shadows.  I'm not sure if it will be different later in the year as the sun tracks closer to the horizon.  That location also has the distinction of being immediately visible to both US Bank and the light rail commute line.

Anyway... the adventure begins, I suppose.