There is snow in New York today. We really need to get in front of the problem of a winter occupation.
I'm going to speak now of the City of New York, the government of Mayor Bloomberg, the city where I pay tax and live. New York must take the lead in being the free speech capital of the world. New York City can stand by, and hope, that the cold weather will drive to protesters out of Zuccotti Park.
They're not leaving, Mayor Bloomberg.
The message to Mayor Bloomberg is: the occupiers are staying. You can have images broadcast around the world of people in New York City suffering terrible hardship--maybe things like ambulances taking people out of Zuccotti Park suffering frostbite and hypothermia. But the occupiers believe so strongly in the righteousness of the cause, that they are willing to endure these medical hardships and the brutal weather to stay in place.
Mayor Bloomberg, is this the image you want to project to the world?
Video streaming by Ustream
There is an alternative.
The alternative, is for the City of New York to take the lead--as we always do. For Mayor Bloomberg to say, "I recognize you're not leaving, and if Brookfield agrees, the city will allow you to erect a non-permanent structure for the winter months. This is a better solution than people possibly dying from exposure."
If Bloomberg fails to protect the occupiers, can you imagine how Jon Stewart and SNL will rip him a new one.
For those of you not familiar with Mayor Mike, he's outlawed smoking, almost outlawed the use of salt, and trans fat, but in Bloomberg's New York (if he refuses to throw his support behind a winter tent), you can die of exposure because you are exercising your First Amendment rights.
This is win, win. Of course, Mayor Bloomberg will face face criticism--perhaps a lot of criticism for a few weeks, but there's one benefit to having a multi-billionaire Mayor, he can say 'fuck you' to anyone, and still get his call returned.
The people in Zuccotti Park and all up and down the East Coast and into the mid West need real protection from the brutal winter weather
An air dome, would be ideal. It could have clear panels as the walls, so the police would be able to have perfect viewing capabilities.
These are the benefits of an air dome:
Air Domes are much more than simply an alternative to conventional pole tents; they are a unique, quick, and inexpensive way to have a permanent or semi-permanent structure for your church, tennis court, concert hall, swimming pool, etc.
Air Domes are very versatile and can be used in many different applications, such as a shelter for dining, a paint facility at a construction site (such as the one we installed for Disney). We have even put one OVER a classic Victorian house under renovation in a region of inclement weather! - The sky is the limit!
We can custom design your Air Domes in different shapes and configurations to meet your specific needs - WE WILL WORK WITH YOU ON YOUR PLAN!
Our Air Domes are easily heated or air-conditioned and provide a comfortable, insect-free environment compared to conventional tents, and are perfect for church sanctuaries when installed over and secured to a concrete slab. They make for an impressively beautiful, modern, and practical structure.
To those who say, a warm environment might encourage more homeless to come, I say, so be it, that is a small price for protecting First Amendment rights.
Please take a look at the excellent diary by ruleoflaw on the specifics of cold weather survival in the outdoors.
Even a shelter like this, would be better than what's currently at Zuccotti Park.
It would give the police the ability to see inside, and it would shelter those holding our ground, a small amount of relief from snow and rain.
And for people who would like to see Zuccotti Park look more 'aesthetic', putting a proper tent in place, is a logical way to proceed.
A structure like this one, would be even better, you'd substitute the wall panels which do not permit light and viewing, with clear panels, enabling law enforcement to have full visibility. You could even make the roof with clear material, enabling visibility from the roof as well.
For those of you living in the West or other warm climates, large swathes of the U.S. become brutally cold in Winter. I live in New York and it's snowing today. Getting proper protection is not an option, it's an absolute necessity.
This is what it likely look like come December and January.
I know many smart people are focusing on how to get decent protection for the heroes holding all the OWS sites across the country. I was contacted by a member of the NYGA legal affairs committee, who I'm hoping to meet tomorrow. I told him, I will do whatever I can, to raise the profile of this very urgent 'bread and butter' issue.
Everyone who supports OWS (and that's almost all of us), needs to raise your voice about this.
One way is to donate. The other is to begin a discussion of what needs to happen to make Mayor Bloomberg cooperate.
Mayor Bloomberg, you can't freeze us out. Show the same courage protecting these people, as you displayed protecting New Yorkers against the tobacco industry, the salt industry and purveyors of trans fat.