In response to a recent wave of arrests at the Occupy Boston campsite, protesters have ratified a Good Neighbor Agreement to govern the procedure for removing a person from Dewey Square.
The proposal, ratified by Occupy Boston’s General Assembly last weekend, is part of a larger ongoing effort by the protesters to enhance safety within the camp.
“The trust between Occupy Boston and the general public has to be restored, readdressed and rebuilt,” said Carlos Ashmanskas, in a message published by the Safety Working Group of Occupy Boston.
In the message, he said that it is Occupy Boston’s responsibility to ensure its environment is safe.
“To enable and ignore the problems are only further derailing our message that we are putting out to the general public,” he said.
Despite recent arrests, Boston Police Department spokesperson Officer James Kenneally said that Occupiers have not misbehaved too much.
“For the most part, folks at Occupy Boston have been well-behaved,” Kenneally said. “There have been a few isolated incidents related to drug activity, but other than that, they have acted peacefully and reasonably.”
Members of the Safety Working Group and about 20 protesters had an impromptu meeting on Saturday, where they voiced their concerns about the camp’s current situation and shared stories of arrest, theft and violence at Occupy Boston.
At the meeting, Safety Working Group member John Ford said that while he was patrolling the camp, he confronted a man armed with a club who then smashed a chair in front of him.
Occupiers then said they wanted to start a collection for the purchase of flashlights and better walkie-talkies for the Safety group in case of similar incidents.
Ford said maintaining a strong community is important in keeping Occupy Boston safe, and that protesters should join the Safety Working Group, which has about 25 members.
The Safety group distributed copies of the Occupy Boston Good Neighbor Agreement, which governs the conduct of protesters living at the campsite.
Among other requirements, the agreements states that protesters living at Occupy Boston must abstain from drugs and alcohol, maintain a zero-tolerance policy for violence and verbal abuse and maintain a zero-tolerance policy for abuse of personal of physical property.
Another community-oriented device instituted to enhance safety at the campsite is the use of a “rainbow blockade” to remove protesters who violate the Good Neighbor Agreement.
“Rainbow is used when we have to evict someone,” said Franklin, a member of the Safety team, who asked to keep his last name anonymous. “We will have our arms linked and in front of us, and we will push them out forcefully.”
Franklin also said it has been difficult to remove troublesome protesters in the past.
“People have been taking advantage of us, but there’s not much we can do,” he said. “It’s an open, public environment.”
Duncan, an Occupier living at the campsite who asked to keep his last name anonymous, said that there are specific requirements for the removal of a protester under the newly ratified proposal.
“The only grounds that we have so far for immediate removal are if you have a violent altercation with someone, or if you brandish a weapon,” Duncan said.
Duncan said that a different process has been set up for people deemed to be habitual problem-causers, but do not fall under the grounds for immediate removal.
He said that to remove someone, a group of mediators confronts the person and then determines whether the protester can stay based upon the situation.
“We give you three strikes,” said Joseph, another protester living at Occupy Boston who asked to keep his last name anonymous. “We have to play fair. We got to do things right, but on the third strike you are history. You are banned from the camp.”
Duncan said that Occupy Boston’s measures are preventative.
“A lot of people here are on violence road and we have to detour them from that path before they reach smackdown city,” said Duncan.