Or a microcosm of it. The ongoing protest in Dewey Square in Downtown Crossing has spawned a de facto village, according to The Herald's Dan O'Brien and Raakhee Mirchandani, with everything a Bostonian would need to get by day to day: "There’s a medical facility, a lawyer’s 'office,' al fresco dining and even a space to align your chakras or engage in some downward dog."
Restrooms. So the faithful depart for spells to nearby South Station or to equally nearby businesses.
“They (businesses) love having us here,” said Stephen Squibb, 28, a designated Occupy Boston spokesman. “A lot of businesses have been incredibly helpful, and we try and patronize in response.”
There is also the Library Tent, with solar panels; and the Media Tent, where laptops and cell phones can be recharged from a generator powered by three stationery bikes; and the Kitchen Tent, an open-air amalgam where "occuchefs" dish donated food. (All are presumably rent-free, in keeping with the protest's ethos.) And when they're feeling frustrated, blue or just existentially bereft in a world where happiness is treated as just another commodity, to be bought and sold, traded and downgraded, man, protesters can head to the village's Spirituality Tent:
.... a shoe-free zone for yoga, faith observance and assorted spiritual centering services. Martin Dagoberto, 27, of New Bedford teaches daily meditation classes.“It’s become a pillar of the community. It’s a quiet, comfortable space. It’s a calming environment that allows us to decompress,” he said.
Dagoberto said people frequent the spirituality tent from 8:30 a.m. until 1 a.m. just about every day.
The population of Occupy Boston has reached about 200 people, and, given the city's recent assurance that they can stay as long as they'd like so long as they behave, we imagine a T stop is right around the corner. May we suggest one on the Red Line?
· Protesters Cam Up Greenway [Herald]
· Occupiers Turn to Homeless for Tips on Staying Warm, Dry [Herald]