Occupy Providence

Occupy Providence
Part of the "Occupy" protests
Demonstrators camping at Burnside Park, 19 November 2011
Date	15 October 2011 – present (7003213700000000000♠5 years, 310 days)
Location	Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Caused by	Economic inequality, corporate influence over government, inter alia.
Methods	Demonstration, occupation, protest, street protesters
Status	Ongoing
Arrests and injuries
Injuries	4 (Fights)

Occupy Providence began on Saturday October 15, 2011. According to the Boston Globe, well over 1,000 demonstrators, including children and adults of various ages, peacefully marched through the capital city before setting up camp at Burnside Park in downtown Providence, RI and turning the park into a public "outhouse." The march made its way through the streets of downtown Providence, pausing outside such institutions as Bank of America, Providence Place Mall, and the Rhode Island State House.

Finally, in January 2012, Occupy Providence agreed to suspend its 24-hour-a-day protest.

Occupy Providence participants continued to engage in organized meetings, events and actions in Burnside Park in 2012, 2015, and 2016, although many fewer people attended these than the original Occupy Providence events.

Occupy Providence is one of over 4000 "Occupy" protests across the globe to be inspired by Occupy Wall Street (which began in New York City on September 17, 2011). According to the official Statement of Purpose as published on the Occupy Providence website on October 24, 2011, participants seek socioeconomic change “by means of a truly democratic General Assembly.” The "Occupy" protests are concerned with furnishing an alternative to corporate and lobbyist-driven politics and with building "a society by, for, and of the people.” Occupy Providence is “non-violent, non-destructive, non-discriminatory and harassment-free” and prohibits all drugs and alcohol from the site of the occupation.

Though a group of protestors met with Providence’s Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare and other city officials on Thursday October 13, 2011, they decided to decline a city permit to inhabit Burnside Park. More than 100 tents were erected within the first week of Occupy Providence, despite some verbal pressure from city officials for a definitive exit timeline.