In Boston's Dewey Square, which has a strip of the Rose Kennedy Greenway passing through it, was the site of a long term protest area that known locally as Occupy Boston, which was part of a larger 'Occupy Movement' that had events worldwide.
Since the Occupy Movement was world-wide and had local and national coverage, there is no shortage of sources to go to. I have chosen the New England Cable News web site for videos, which should be available long-term. But, you could search for articles by the Boston Globe (though, currently articles have become restricted), Boston Herald, Christian Science Monitor, ABC News, etc. The video chosen took place on December 10, at the point when the group had been cleared out of the park. Though the protesters were found in other locations, such as Boston Common and Leventhal Park in the Financial District, this location had been 'home base.'
Summary of the Occupy Boston Event:
Though Occupy Boston, as an organization is still active, this post is limited to the tent city occupation. The Wikipedia article is inconsistent, at the time of writing, so the following is the best interpretation. The occupation lasted from October 3 to December 10, 2011, a period of 111 days. Dewey Square was a good location, since it is situated where the Federal Reserve Building of Boston is located, and it is on the edge of the Financial District of the city. On October 10, the Boston Police made 141 arrests, but most of the cases were dismissed according to an agreement made with the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office. By October 15, there were about 90 tents in the square portion of the park dubbed "Main Street," while about two dozen tents were located on a narrow strip between the tunnel exhaust structure and the sidewalk along Atlantic Street. On November 17, a judge had issued an order temporarily preventing them from being evicted. On December 7, this order was rescinded, allowing the city to procede when ready. On December 8 a 9 there was conflict between the protesters and the city involving an all-weather tent and a 'kitchen sink,' resulting in both being removed from the area. On December 9, the city issued an ultimatum, which, on December 10, was carried out at 5:00 am. The final 46 people remaining on the property were asked by the police if they wanted to be arrested, and arrested the protesters when they said 'yes.' The next week, the park was cleared and resodded, and looks like a park now. During the time that they were there, the protestors marched in mostly the Financial District and Boston Common and held pep rallies at the site.
The tent city was a pretty active area. Most of the time when I was there, the area was pretty festive. There were small groups of people that were either chanting, talking, writing with chalk on the brick, playing music, or otherwise milling about. The main entrance had everchanging signs and was, for a time 'guarded' by a statue of Ghandi, courtesy of the Peace Abbey in Sherborn. At another entrance was the sign shed, where protest signs were stored.
Media coverage was pretty extensive. The vehicles were parked either on Summer Street or on the sidewalk on Congress Street. Interviews were conducted all over the place.
Other Web Sites:
Occupy Boston:
(
visit link)
Wikipedia (Occupy Boston):
(
visit link)