So now it looks like the situation in People’s Park has stabilized for at least the next two months — since a Judge just issued a temporary stay order halting the University’s construction project until October.
The University could still come storming back in there with an army of riot cops and fence the park off again. But what would be the point of that? Since they’d have to guard the fence with an army of cops for 24-7 for two months just to keep the activists from tearing down the fences again anyways. So that would be an exercise in futility since they can’t do any construction on the site until October anyways.
Meanwhile the People’s Park activists have a two month grace period to try and turn the park back into something that the entire community can enjoy. Ironically, since the University got rid of the 50 or so homeless people who had been permanently camping in the park for the last two years by offering them free rent for a year in a motel, the park is starting off with a clean slate. And for the first time in years, the vast majority of people hanging out in the park this evening were normal, every day people. And not the street wingnuts who have dominated the park scene for years (as a street wingnut myself, I can get away with saying that). And that remains the ultimate challenge for the People’s Park activist. Can they return the park to a semblance of a normal park that the entire community can enjoy and feel comfortable in? Or will it revert to one more homeless encampment??
Ace Backwords Photos 