Occupy Philly moves across the street — and back again

Occupy Philadelphia was on the move Thursday night, relocating from Dilworth Plaza to Thomas Paine Plaza across the street after members rejected a proposal to move to Rittenhouse Square.

But in an effort to avoid a confrontation with authorities, Occupy brought about another one: No permit had been granted for the relocation, and late Thursday night, demonstrators were lugging their tents back to Dilworth.

Dozens of police were on the scene, including a large contingent of Highway Patrol officers. Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey said that the back-and-forth relocation was peaceful and that no arrests were reported.

That hadn't been the case earlier, when police had arrested 24 protesters who sat down and locked arms Thursday night on the Market Street Bridge to protest joblessness.

The arrests followed a high-spirited march from City Hall to the bridge by several hundred people, who chanted, "We are the 99 percent," and "Hey, hey, ho, ho, corporate greed has got to go."

Fight for Philly, a coalition of labor, church, and community groups, organized the rally, with members of Occupy Philadelphia joining.

The marchers called on Congress to pass a jobs bill. They said they targeted the Market Street Bridge because it needed repairs, a project that could create jobs.

One of the men arrested carried a sign made out of a pizza box that read: "I am the 1 percent. I stand with the 99 percent. Tax me more."

Shortly before he was arrested, Tim Kearney, development director for the Tenant Union Representative Network, said he sat down on Market Street because he was angry about negative coverage of Occupy Philly in The Inquirer. Kearney said he also disliked Mayor Nutter because he vetoed a sick-pay bill.

West Philadelphian Greg Wilkerson, who lost his building-maintenance job nearly a year ago, said he marched because he and so many others needed work.

"A lot of us don't have the means to feed our families," he said. "We are losing our homes."

Police said the arrests went off without incident.

The arrests were part of a tumultuous day that also saw a small group of Occupy Philly protesters storm City Council, as well as a continuing debate about whether the group should move from Dilworth Plaza to make way for a construction project there.

Philadelphia's managing director, Richard Negrin, said he was disappointed with the decision to shut down Market Street.

"They stopped an incredibly busy area and inconvenienced thousands of people who were just trying to get home," Negrin said.

On Wednesday, the city had ordered protesters to leave Dilworth immediately. A few Occupiers took their tents down, but most remained.

At a "general assembly" meeting Thursday night that started about 7 at the Friends Center in Center City and concluded more than three hours later at Dilworth, Occupiers voted to relocate at Thomas Paine Plaza.

More than 200 people filled the Friends Center for the assembly, though the number had dwindled by the time of the vote.

By 10:30, Occupiers had begun carrying tents across the street to Thomas Paine, disrupting traffic in the area of 15th Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard. Within half an hour, amid a growing police presence, many were moving back. Traffic in the area was flowing again by a little after 11:30.

The city was "not allowing the movement to spread without a permit," mayoral spokesman Mark McDonald said Thursday night.

Divisions among the protesters were evident Thursday. A group of Occupiers calling themselves Reasonable Solutions submitted a permit to the city to move their encampment to Thomas Paine.

But others said Reasonable Solutions did not represent them, and the debate about moving has widened to a conversation about what the group's goals are.

At an afternoon meeting at the Friends Center, about 50 Occupiers gathered to discuss whether to move. Several said they worried that the divisions had only created a public-relations trap for the group: The Dilworth project is expected to employ 800 people over two years, and delaying good jobs could make Occupy look hypocritical.

Rep. Bob Brady (D., Pa.) has been working with unions and with some protesters to figure out how to move the Occupy Philly encampment to Thomas Paine.

Several Occupiers said they feared that the debate over moving had eclipsed more important issues, such as their desire for greater social justice.

"We can't get stuck in a symbolic fight over a piece of land," said a speaker named Ben.

Some suggested that the group take over a vacant building and use it to feed the homeless.

Earlier Thursday, several protesters disrupted a City Council meeting, saying they were angry about a new curfew law and did not believe they should have to move.

At a hastily called news conference after the storming of Council, several protesters criticized the efforts to evict their encampment.

"I don't think the First Amendment needs a permit," said a protester who identified himself as Adan X.

He said he was frustrated because he believed the Occupiers had done more to help the homeless, primarily by feeding them, than the city had. He said, though, that he would move if the group voted to do so.

Another Occupier, Peter McCarthy, said he was frustrated that so much media coverage had focused on the relocation. The protesters are fighting for serious concerns, he said.