At their general assembly meeting this past Saturday, members of Occupy Charlottesville voted to oust Evan Knappenberger, who has been heavily involved in handling the group's interactions with the City and the media since its inception last month. Although the circumstances surrounding Knappenberger's expulsion remain unclear, his departure from the movement and the public war of words that has ensued between him and other members of the movement suggest that there are very definite limits to its capacity to bring about positive change in the future. Therefore, the movement's members should seek to uphold their core principles of non-violence, mutual respect and cooperation until their City-issued permit to occupy Lee Park expires on Thanksgiving, and after that should seek to engage in activism through other outlets.
Those involved in the movement do deserve credit for thus far preventing violence and disorder in their designated area of occupancy. The group has held regular general assembly sessions for the purpose of collective decision-making, and it has even been operating a website that has documented its activities and objectives. Moreover, there have been no known incidents of crime at the group's campsite, with the exception of the Nov. 1 arrest of three homeless men who are alleged to have provided alcohol to two underage girls. The individuals involved in this incident were apparently unconnected to the movement, and were said to have been squatting in a member's tent without his knowledge.
Because the alleged crime took place within Occupy's encampment, the movement does bear some responsibility for what transpired. The difficulty of knowing exactly who to hold accountable in such situations, however, reveals two major flaws in the movement's structure - namely, its unclear boundaries and lack of leadership. Although in this case there was no lasting harm done, it could easily have been a more serious crime such as rape or assault that took place in the Occupy member's tent. Without any well-defined method for maintaining security or determining individuals' reasons for being in the park, Occupy's presence does pose a risk to those who might be lured into its zone of semi-autonomy by those with nefarious intentions.
The group's fluid leadership structure suffered a further blow with Knappenberger's dismissal this past weekend. Without Knappenberger, the movement will have to find another individual to speak on its behalf in discussions with the City and the media. This is especially true now that the controversy involving Knappenberger has cast further doubt upon the movement's future aims. Knappenberger has asserted that there are "radical sub-elements" within the group who "are playing around with unusual definitions of 'self-defense' and 'non-violence,'" and although his words as an alienated member of the movement must be viewed with skepticism, the group will need to produce a coherent message of unity to reassure the public that it remains an innocuous part of the downtown environment.
The movement took the first step toward doing so Sunday night, when its general assembly passed a statement reaffirming the group's commitment to nonviolence. This response offers hope that the movement will be able to occupy Lee Park peacefully for the next week and a half. The movement's lack of a clear objective and its blurring of the lines between a political protest and a homeless encampment, however, mean that its members should consider other channels through which they may engage in activism.
By disbanding its camp, the movement can encourage the homeless individuals on its fringe to seek proper assistance at cold weather shelters provided by the City and charitable groups. In addition, it can send a message that it truly is interested in public safety by eliminating the hazard that its unregulated network of tents poses to vulnerable individuals in the Charlottesville community. Although removing itself from Lee Park will require a substantial sacrifice on Occupy's part, it is necessary for upholding the spirit of selflessness that the movement purports to advocate for society at large.
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