Occupy Wall Street Faces Quandary Regarding Homeless Amid Their Ranks

From Los Angeles to Wall Street, homeless men and women have joined the Occupy Wall Street protesters in large numbers, or they at least have settled in beside them for the night. While the economic deprivation they suffer might symbolize the grievance at the heart of this protest, they have come less for the cause than for an easier existence. There is food, as well as bathrooms, safety, company and activity to pass away their days.

Their presence is posing a quandary for protesters and the authorities. Divisions have arisen among protesters about how much to embrace the interlopers. The number of homeless, many suffering from mental disorders, makes it easier for Occupy’s opponents to belittle the movement and has raised the pressure on authorities to crack down.

In Atlanta on Saturday, demonstrators thrown out of Woodruff Park moved into upper floors of the Peachtree-Pine homeless shelter. It gave the demonstration more of a political focus, and not incidentally expanded its size.

In Nashville, organizers described the homeless as more of a detriment than an asset. “This is keeping people away: It distracts a lot of energy away from the issues we’re fighting for when we’re just managing life in the camp,” said Bob Titley 56, a participant in Occupy Nashville. “A lot of women felt unsafe camping out at night.”

The influx of homeless continues at a steady pace, even as the populations of some of the demonstrations have faded under the pressures of dropping temperatures, the passage of time and increasingly aggressive police tactics. Some organizers estimated that as many as 30% of the people camping out in some cities were chronically homeless.

Related articles

• Dissenting, or Seeking Shelter? Homeless Stake a Claim at Protests (nytimes.com)
• NYPD try new way to break up Occupy Wall Street – send in the homeless and the drunks (inquisitr.com)
• Is NYPD Sending Drunk Homeless People to Occupy Wall Street? [Occupy Wall Street] (gawker.com)
• NYT: Homeless stake a claim at ‘Occupy’ protests (msnbc.msn.com)
• Occupy Wall Street Bans Homeless From Dining, Other Cities Make Room At The Table (huffingtonpost.com)