Occupy Nashville: Staying Put, and Trying to Stay Warm

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Police have torn down tents at Occupy camps from New York to California, and some in the movement want to hibernate until spring. But protesters outside Tennessee’s capitol say they’re not going anywhere. Instead, Occupy Nashville is gearing up for winter weather, though not all are occupying the plaza full-time.

Police have torn down tents at Occupy camps from New York to California, and some in the movement want to hibernate until spring. But protesters outside Tennessee’s capitol say they’re not going anywhere. Instead, Occupy Nashville is gearing up for winter weather, though not all are occupying the plaza full-time.

At night the only comfort between Simon Dillon and the cold stone of the plaza is a thin sleeping pad.

“Nothing set up right now but, it’s just a basic tent…”

A tent is practically a luxury compared to how some Occupy camps have it. Dillon says he’s been traveling, crashing with various groups around the country.

“I was in Denver, and Denver is getting complete… they’ve been overrun by the cops numerous times, they won’t even let them set up tents. They kick them out of the park where they’ve assembled every night so they’re forced to sleep on the sidewalk without structure.”

Many Occupy efforts have similar complaints. Even protesters at the flagship site in Manhattan can no longer keep tents in Zuccotti Park. But in Nashville, a federal injunction affords occupiers some legal shelter for the time being, letting protesters stay camped into the new year, which… Brrr.

“There’s a notion of doing more to winterize parts of the camp.”

Johanne Greenwood helps Occupy Nashville handle its finances. Using a spreadsheet on her pink iPad, she tracks donations – and costs.

“At the moment we’re running something of a surplus.”

Occupy Nashville has four thousand dollars in the bank – not a ton if you’re fundraising for a senate campaign, but it’s far more than protesters have been spending. Jason Steen says that’s thanks to donations. Ask and ye shall receive, be it laptops or snacks.

“I think you might be pleasantly surprised…”

A single naked light bulb hangs inside the dim kitchen tent. On a wet winter evening it resembles a post-apocalypse survival cache, but smells surprisingly good. Steen points to stacks on all sides, with donated bread, ripe bananas, donuts…

“And then over here you’ll have another five- or six-foot unit of camp supplies, basically: coffee filters, coffee, cream, sugar, cups, plates, napkins, forks…”

…Enough to keep a sizeable picnic going awhile. Much of it comes from an army of volunteers following protesters and their needs on Twitter. Steen says they sympathize with the movement but have jobs and obligations.

“They’re like ‘We’ll help you guys any way we can, just let us know; we just don’t have the room in our lives to be able to go sit on the plaza all the time right now.’”

Even Steen says he doesn’t always camp out. Still, each night on the plaza a few dozen people are staying put, and trying to stay warm.

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