Occupy Regina

Occupy Regina
Part of the Occupy movement
Date October 15, 2011 – present Location Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada Status Protest camp ended Causes Economic inequality, corporate influence over government, inter alia. Characteristics Demonstration, occupation, protest, street protesters
Casualties
Arrests: 1 Tickets: 9

Occupy Regina is a peaceful protest primarily against economic inequality and social injustice which took place in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada since October 15, 2011. It formed a part of the the Occupy movement. A protest camp was set up in downtown Regina and existed for 33 days (October 15 - November 16).

"Phase One" Events

On October 15, a protest camp was established in Victoria Park. Over the coming days, around 30 tents where 20-60 occupants per night have been keeping a vigil.

On 28 October, the punk musician Joe Keithley visited protesters at the Victoria Park camp and played an impromptu set for them.^[1] On 5 November The Council of Canadians donated a portable toilet to the camp, which had previously been using a makeshift toilet inside a tent.^[2] On November 7, the portable toilet was removed from the camp by the city authorities, the power having been shut off on October 19.

Due to these two events, and the verbal warnings being received by the city of Regina to leave, a rally was held at city hall on November 9th. About 60 people gathered at noon hour and a short time later went inside, and requested to meet with the mayor. The request was denied, so they occupied the front lobby of city hall until the building closed, and left peacefully.^[3]

On the morning of November 10, each tent was served a formal eviction notice by the city authorities.^[4][5] They were ordered to by 8:00am on November 12, but remained in the park. On Remembrance Day, November 11, the Occupy Regina protestors presented a wreath to the veterans to lay on the Victoria Park cenotaph. They also took down all of their signs as a show of respect and refused any media interviews.^[6]

At 11:15pm on November 14, several police officers, and at least two City bylaw officers, arrived and wrote tickets to all who remained in the park. One man was arrested for public intoxication and breaching a previous court order.^[7] Two more tickets were also given the night of November 15. On November 16, police dismantled the remaining tents and confiscated its contents, including an Apple iPod.^[8] There was no resistance as the camp was already abandoned.^[9][10] The city now has paid private security guards monitoring the park to make sure the protest camp is not re-established in its original location. These events have become known as "phase one."

Phase Two

On 20 November, 2011 Occupy protestors met in Victoria Park where they marched into the Cornwall Centre mall and did a flash mob action with playing cards. They used the human microphone system to read out a short statement regarding the corrupt economic system "the deck is stacked." ^[11]

See also

Saskatchewan portal

Canada portal

References

1. ^ "D.O.A.'s Keithley visits Regina 'occupy' camp". CBC News. 29 October 2011. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/story/2011/10/29/sk-keithley-doa-regina-occupy-111029.html. Retrieved 2011-11-12. 
2. ^ "Occupy Regina protests will go on despite snow, cold". CTV News. November 5, 2011. http://regina.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20111105/sask-occupy-week3-111105/20111105/?hub=Regina. Retrieved 2011-11-12. 
3. ^ Goudy, Lisa (November 9, 2011). "Occupy Regina protesters rally at city hall with no intention of leaving". Leader-Post (Postmedia Network). http://www.leaderpost.com/news/Occupy+Regina+protesters+rally+city+hall+with+intention+leaving/5683923/story.html. Retrieved 2011-11-12. 
4. ^ "Occupy Regina campers told to leave park". CBC News. November 10, 2011. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/story/2011/11/10/sk-occupy-regina-eviction-notice.html. Retrieved 2011-11-12. 
5. ^ "Occupy Regina protesters given eviction notice Thursday morning". Calgary Herald. November 11, 2011. http://www.calgaryherald.com/travel/Occupy+Regina+protesters+given+eviction+notice+Thursday+morning/5687703/story.html. Retrieved 2011-11-12. 
6. ^ Maciag, Samantha (2011-11-11). "Occupy Regina quiet on Remembrance Day". News Talk 980 CJME (Rawlco Radio). http://www.cjme.com/story/occupy-regina-quiet-remembrance-day/31413. Retrieved 2011-11-13. 
7. ^ "Police ticket Occupy Regina park-dwellers". CBC News. November 15, 2011. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/story/2011/11/15/sk-occupy-regina-ticketed-1111.html. Retrieved 2011-11-16. 
8. ^ "Occupy Regina camp torn down by police". Leader-Post (Postmedia Network). November 16, 2011. http://www.leaderpost.com/travel/Occupy+Regina+camp+torn+down+police/5719264/story.html. Retrieved 2011-11-16. 
9. ^ "Occupy Regina: Police Remove Last Tents From Victoria Park". Huffington Post. November 16, 2011. http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2011/11/16/police-city-say-occupy-r_n_1097381.html. Retrieved 2011-11-21. 
10. ^ "Occupy tents removed from Regina park". CBC News. November 16, 2011. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/story/2011/11/16/sk-occupy-regina.html. Retrieved 2011-11-16. 
11. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ra9w42MAQps&feature=youtu.be