Think Locally

During the Jan. 17 Monterey City Council Meeting, a vote of 4-1 denied an extension of a camping permit for the Occupy Monterey Peninsula at Veteran’s Park in Monterey.

Assistant City Manager Fred Cohn said the city received two donations, equaling $2,000, to pay the camper fees, but he said it did not cover the complete costs necessary for the city. The donations were exhausted due to city services that were applied to the encampment. In addition, Cohn cited environmental reasons, claiming damage in the park could occur as it begins to rain and camping continues.

Although it no longer has its encampment at Veteran’s Park, Occupy Monterey Peninsula is not over.

“Occupy is not just for camping. It’s a symbolic gesture, a signature of the movement,” Timothy Barrett, a member of the Occupy press and media working group, said. “It galvanized attention, and it served its purpose.”

Barrett continued to say the camping allowed people who would not otherwise come together become a community, which helped Occupy unite.

“It allowed people with homes, jobs, and work to organize with those who might not have a home,” he said.

One group of people who were staying at the encampment were the homeless. A member of Occupy said when they heard the stories of how they became homeless, Occupy arranged to establish a legal camping permit. This was meant to create a safe and consistent place for them.

This reason was mentioned during the city council meeting, which prompted Monterey’s Mayor Chuck Della Sala to say that the city should “develop a better program for homeless people. We need to do a better job as a society — that needs to be our job.”

Sala’s remarks are central to Barrett’s personal initiative: initiating social responsibility at the local level.

“Occupy is about strong local economies. We need more investment to local economies,” he said, emphasizing more focus towards local city councils and local county offices.

Barrett believes that if investments remain in the local region rather than in corporations who participate in risky lending, it would keep the county strong even when economic recessions leave the national economy weak.

Encampments might be closing nationwide, but Barrett sees Occupy making its way into the political debate.

“If you listen to the language in Obama’s speeches, you can hear Occupy coming to the scene.” However, he added with uncertainty: “it remains to be seen if it transcends to action.”