Occupy Richmond is not affiliated with the Richmond Tea Party in any way, shape or form. We disagree fundamentally on key issues. However, working towards a better future in which citizenship duties are taken seriously by the government requires us to stand up for the free speech rights of all citizens, regardless of their particular views.

To this end, the Occupy Richmond Media Work Group has released a statement on the audit of the Richmond Tea Party. On its own, an audit is just another bureaucratic hassle. Coupled with the raid on Occupy Richmond’s peaceful occupation, however, the timing of this audit seems like retaliation for criticism the Tea Party has leveled at the Mayor and the city. It’s just another troubling indicator that the city doesn’t understand or respect free speech, the United States Constitution, or an active and engaged citizenry.

You can find our official press release here along with all our press releases.

On Monday night, the Richmond City Council Public Safety Standing Committee held a meeting to discuss the costs associated with Occupy Richmond. Several Richmonders made statements during the citizen comment period. Richmond Police Chief Bryan T. Norwood also answered questions from City Council members.

We were disappointed to hear Chief Norwood brazenly misrepresent the facts of the raid. Contrary to his official account to the council, bulldozers did in fact smash and dispose of our camp in the middle of the night, providing us woefully insufficient opportunity to evacuate our valuable property. We were never informed in any way that our belongings could be claimed from RPD evidence. Such errors suggest grave breakdowns in communication within the department — breakdowns that may have contributed to the sudden demise of a previously cordial relationship between the department and occupiers. It was encouraging to see Council members Reva Trammel and Marty Jewell hold administration officials accountable for the high price tag of these police state operations.

While the council members grilled Norwood for explanations of the department’s bellicose raid on Kanawha Plaza and continued intensive surveillance of the current occupation at Raymond Boone’s property, many differing views emerged about what the movement is all about and how the council should regard it.

While the council discussed the various free speech and public safety issues surrounding the occupation, citizens almost uniformly spoke out in favor of respecting the first amendment’s supremacy over any local ordinances. We attempted to impress upon the council how important this movement is to the future of political discourse in this country, sketching out our vision of a space for free citizen dialogue unmediated by powerful institutions or mainstream media — a place for the kind of bottom-up solutions that can transcend rigid political boundaries and achieve new consensuses. We are happy to have started what could be a promising conversation with Richmond City Council and look forward to further productive interaction.

Six people involved with Occupy Richmond met with the mayor on November 18th.  You can view the meeting in its entirely here.

A few people are meeting at Monroe Park in front of the Landmark Theater at 6 pm each day to offer rides to the Occupation site for General Assembly at 7 pm.  If you can offer rides on a regular basis, please contact Media.