Occupy Maine reaffirms its commitment, invites the public for tours

Occupy Maine, the Occupy Wall Street offshoot in Portland’s Lincoln Park, is nearing a month and a half in Maine’s largest city and they’re not worried about the imminent arrival of winter.

Known for its busy and festive Saturdays since the group’s been in town, the encampment is swinging its doors open again today for a “rebirth and revival,” done in a Renaissance Fair theme with musicians and costumes and meals and tent city tours for interested members of the public at large.

I know what readers have seen scrolling through the headlines about some other Occupy sites around the country — Occupy Oakland, for instance. But I haven’t been to any of the occupations outside of Portland, and my experience has been that these folks are friendly, welcoming and willing to talk thoroughly about their causes if you want to know more.

Depending on your political bent, you may not agree with the Occupy Maine crew, but it’d be hard to accuse them of being mean-spirited.

They’re also very appreciative of donations, which folks have brought in the form of food for their kitchen and blankets, among other things monetary and not.

Today, Occupy Maine is perhaps even more open and welcoming than usual, with a series of activities and workshops slated for community members to come in and see what occupation life is like.

Starting at 11 a.m., they’ll kick off guided tours and ongoing live music, with art, team-building and “stress relief” activities rolling throughout the day in various locations.

Lunch is served from the Occupy Maine kitchen at 1 p.m., followed by (among other things) workshops on outreach (2 p.m.) and the media (3 p.m.), as well as a general assembly, which is the group’s democratic business meeting.

The day rounds out with dinner at 7:30 p.m. and a “Why Occupy?” film compilation at 8 p.m.

Seth Koenig

About Seth Koenig

Seth has nearly a decade of professional journalism experience and writes about the greater Portland region.