Holding Down the Tents at Lincoln Park; Corporate Greed the Target of OccupyMaine

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Part of Tent City at Lincoln Park Today

By Carol McCracken (Post # 899)

This afternoon Chris Levesque said that he slept pretty well last night at Lincoln Park – despite the cold and rain. He and about 10 other members of the OccupyMaine hardiest slept under canopies with the sides rolled down. The group agreed with the city to camp there, because some of the businesses at Monument Square were concerned at their presence near their businesses.

OccupyMaine has been encamped at Monument Square since the weekend and is connected to the OccupyWallStreet rally in New York. The message is clear: Against Corporate Greed

An exception to that concern of local business owners is restaurant co-owner Mike Roylos, of Spartan Grill. Roylos has been providing the protestors a place to meet in the evenings; it’s where the media team meets often. “I think what they are doing is right. Corporate greed has no political boundaries. It’s both sides of the aisle. They are getting involved rather than sitting on the sidelines. A great number of people have suffered because of the political agenda of the last 20 years. There have been huge corporte giveaways from both parties. It shouldn’t be political; its economic,” he said. Roylos, has owned Spartan Grill for almost 2 years now, although he has worked in Monument Square for years now.

Meanwhile, Portland attorney John H. Branson, who is representing OccupyMaine pro bono, was negotiating with the city to allow the protestors a permit to have a tent at Monument Square on rainy days. The group is not allwed to have a tent there because it obstructs the walkways in the area. OccupyMaine also needs a permit to be there during the Farmer’s Market on Wednesdays.

One of the protestors was Jen Hodsdon, a single mom and resident of the Hill. “I think this is a very exciting movement. There is energy here I haven’t seen since 2002 when we protested against the war. This feels like that same energy and has more specific targets,” she said.

“I hope they take the banks down,” said Dr. Derek Libby, a physician in the Old Port. ” I think what they are doing is fantastic.”