Waiting for the governor to make her move.
See update to this post in this comment below.
The buzz has been out there for a couple of hours. When I got wind of it, I walked down to the State House to see what was up.
The first person I ran into was Wesley Donehue, on his way back to his office at Donehue Direct across Gervais St.
“I guess I really stirred something up,” he said. I said something brilliant like, “Huh?”
Turns out Wesley’s the guy who sent out this letter from Sen. Harvey Peeler to Gov. Nikki Haley, in which he said,
I would like to know what the Budget and Control Board will be doing about the Occupy Columbia group…If you drive past the State House you will see tables, sleeping bags, coolers, folding chairs and even a port-o-john. I do not know how these items do not invade the public health, safety and welfare of our citizens and visitors to our State House.
He said that “at the very least,” the group needs to complete an application for use of the State House grounds.
This stirred up the protesters considerably, and when I left them a few minutes ago, they were bracing themselves to be tossed out after the governor’s press conference at 4.
Walid Hakim, the only “99 percenter” I know, said his group would behave themselves peaceably.
But he also said, “I’m going to stay as long as I possibly can.”
I’m gonna run back down yonder and see what happens next.
Walid Hakim: "I'm going to stay as long as I possibly can."
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Bring on the dogs and water cannons.
Let these idiots come back when they get a permit approved, just like every other group has to have.
“I do not know how these items do not invade the public health, safety and welfare of our citizens and visitors to our State House.”
so, he is saying he actually does know how these items invade(Huh?) public health (really?), safety(seriously?) and welfare (whatever that means) of our citizens and visitors (like these people?) to our (also their) State House?
Looks like they’re doing a number on the grass.
Okay since my first comment got shot down, I’ll tone my true feelings down a notch or six:
How did this group get to assemble and live on statehouse grounds when every other group is required to get a signed permit?
What the hell is going on with this site this afternoon?
If you take a close up of the most concentrated area, it might look a bit off, but I walk and drive by there daily, and they really are not causing a problem. I can’t help but wonder if Sen. Peeler is more concerned about the content of the message than the physical realities of their occupation. If it were some sort of Bible camp thing, would he still protest?
So Wesley’s pants are too tight and he is not getting enough fiber in his diet.
Really sad when someone like Wesley can USE someone like Senator Harvey Peeler to generate needless, mindless, totally idiotic issues.
The protesters will absolutely fade away from the State House come the first extended rain or hard freeze.
But what they are saying and standing for is growing — especially when establishment politicians display their mental hemmorhoids.
Steven, I don’t know what that was. I took down this post for a minute, then put it back up, and it seems OK now…
Call PETA — I see an animal cage. And that’s one revolutionary scarf that dude’s wearing. Call the MOSSAD!
This is in response to Kathryn saying == I can’t help but wonder if Sen. Peeler is more concerned about the content of the message than the physical realities of their occupation. If it were some sort of Bible camp thing, would he still protest? ==
The only other, recurring, and extended use of the State House is the annual reading of the Confederate War Dead.
And no, I cannot recall either Harvey Peeler or Wesley Donahue being worked up over that.
What we really need to do is have a bunch of regular people get off their fannies and “take over” the State House is a symbolic way — sort of like how Mayor Riley and Governor Beasley did over the flag.
We all own the State House through our citizenship. To deny the least among us that basic right and dignity absolutely infuriates and offends me.
In case y’all didn’t see the video feed elsewhere, Nikki gave them until 6 p.m. to leave.
When asked “or else what”,” she backed up and let her public safety director be the one to say they will be arrested.
As a Tea Partier, she fell all over herself defending people’s rights to use the “power of their voices,” but drew the line at people peeing in the bushes.
A few voices from the back denied said urination; the gov waved her statement of citations — or whatever it was, the list of violations she read from.
I don’t know whose legal advice she’s using on this, but Todd Carroll of Hall and Bowers was seen walking back and forth in the hall just before the presser…
Kathryn – I drive past there twice daily too and I can’t tell if it’s just the change of seasons but I bet there’s damage to the grounds from the high traffic. When this has run it’s course, what will they have accomplished? I mean besides proving that it’s possible to hang out 24/7 on the Statehouse grounds for a month.
Would a Bible camp hang out doing nothing for a month straight? How is this different than vagrancy?
I read that Nikki’s rationale for requiring the protesters to leave is that security costs too much. I wonder how it compares to her European jobs trip.
I’m hearing that several of these protesting vets, actually never served in the military. Is Hakim actually a Marine? Would any Marine disgrace the uniform by just wearing the jacket? Maybe someone wants to check this guy out.
The governor said the protesters can come back in the morning. Just no camping out, no sleeping bags.
I’m back at the office, looking and feeling like a drowned rat from the downpour. I’ll try to post something, with pictures, if my cameras still work…
Did their fearless leader Hakim get hauled off or was he last seen running away from his troups?
I heard that many of these protesters had no long form birth certificates.
Y’all are all wrong. Queen Nikki just didn’t want to be near the stinky common people for the Christmas tree lighting ceremony.
Interesting you should mention that…
Just before Nikki came out for her presser, one of the reporters remarked sotto voce to another that there was a a certain… “Occupy” odor in the air. (We were formed in concentric arcs around the lectern — media in the inner arc, protesters in the outer.)
The second reporter smiled and walked over a few steps and muttered to some other colleagues, who also smiled in a similar manner.
As for me, I didn’t smell a thing. I had run over from my office to get there in time. Maybe they were smelling me…
Rose – So the public isn’t invited to the Christmas tree lighting ceremony? That’s what your implying. Please elaborate.
Brad, have you ever walked into someone’s house and smelled a funky smell? Then realize it’s the normal smell for that house? I’ve walked into a room at work where there were several Middle Eastern people congregated, apparently it’s a cultural thing to not shower on a regular basis nor wear deodorant. I didn’t stay around because I didn’t want the funk of nasty BO to stick to me or the vomit that would have suddenly appeared. What I’m getting at is it sounds very similar to the hygienic lifestyle of the Occupy folks.
And pictures you published, you did look like a drowned rat…