Saturday, December 10, 2011

Occupy Boston Evicted by Cops: Activists Move to Dewey Square

Occupy Boston moves on from Dewey Square

(NECN: Julie Loncich, Boston) - With their tangible tents gone, occupy Boston protesters crowd surfed a symbolic one while meeting at Boston Common Saturday night.

And in the crowd of hundreds watching and listening on, 59-year-old Kathryn Hoffman, a life-long activist who was among those arrested during the early morning raid.

"The debate and the language in this country has completely changed as a result of the Occupies all the way around," said Hoffman. "I think that's a phenomenal success."

After two and a half months of encampment on what was once a beautiful Dewey Square, Boston Police swiftly moved in at 5 a.m., asked the 50 or so still there to leave, and arrested the more than 40 that refused. This raid was nothing in comparison to those in New York and Oakland.

"The reason why it worked out in Boston is because we had a department that developed relationships with the occupiers and it worked out real well," said Boston Mayor Tom Menino.

Not according to the passionate protesters who gathered on the Common, who are vowing solidarity, and vowing to carry their message onward.

"This isn't over. This is not over," said Eli Feghali, an Occupy Boston protester. "It was never about tents. We didn't occupy Dewey square because we wanted to camp out. We occupied Dewey square because we believe there's something fundamentally wrong with the system."

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