Pre-Occupied London: “Turn on the Christmas lights, kids!”

[“In London’s Victoria Park, where there were tents and 100 protesters, there are now fallen leaves and a few strollers. Where there were protest signs, there are now Christmas lights.” Nov. 16, London Free Press]

When summer is over and students are back in school most Londoners look forward to a pleasant fall. Those that have trees in their yard ready their rakes.

As Hallowe’en approaches Londoners stock up on mini-chocolate bars and kisses wrapped in black and orange paper. Many carve pumpkins for the porch and hope traffic at the door slows down in time to watch Coronation Street on TV at 6:30.

Then comes Remembrance Day, then news of the Santa Claus parade, then the dusting off of Christmas signage and Yuletide decor by local businesses and the writing of seasonal cards and shopping lists by parents (over-stressed Visa and Mastercard in hand) and every young child who wants something special on the 25th.

Then comes New Years Day - excellent! - followed by minor festivities related to Valentine’s Day, first day of spring and the Stanley Cup Playoffs before the next highly-anticipated summer season begins.

Ahhh... summer time. BBQs. And then around we go again.

Though many Londoners will be too occupied with regularly scheduled programming to notice (or untangling strings of lights so they can holler "Turn on the Christmas lights, kids!), R. Richmond of the London Free Press penned a thought-provoking article related to the Occupy movement yesterday.

He writes: “Across North America this week, the experience of the Occupy London camp is being repeated, with Wall Street’s camp emptied Tuesday and Toronto’s teetering on the edge of eviction.” (Nov. 16)

Then he asks a “question left behind: Can a movement that began with occupation live on when its camps are vacant?” (Link to full story)

I think it can, and there are positive signs that it will, perhaps in a new form, even here in ‘perfectly average’, ‘pre-Occupied’ London, the town in which Occupier tents were dismantled and removed ahead of any other city.

A community-based group shared this morning at a small press conference that it intends to converse with Occupy London, collect information re societal concerns from other members of the community and make use of an open door at City Hall to inform city politicians of important concerns that can be addressed.


[G. Pearson, J. Shelley, K. Dixon, S. Wilson, S. Quigley, E. Sheppard: photo GH]

Am I hopeful that questions raised by the Occupy movement will be addressed at a local level?

Well, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the road is long, but with good hands on deck (the community-based group has many good hands aboard) some good questions can be raised, solutions explored and progress can be made.

More to follow.

***

Please click here for more news about the Occupy Movement.

Raffi’s blog at rabble.ca

An earlier post by GH

.