I burned out. Too much writing, too much standing out in the cold. The occupation was ruining my health. Taking a few days off was a choice that was good for the soul.
Unfortunately I may not be going back.
A woman died at the Art Gallery site from a drug overdose. I don't believe I'd met the woman. Her name may have been Ashley, though it has not yet been released by to the media. I hope she died knowing that she was surrounded by people who respected her. I've heard that heroin overdose is a quick and painless way to go, and I hope it was gentle for her.
It bears mentioning that 125 people died of overdoses in the Downtown East Side last year.
Mayor Robinson is using this death as a pretext to close the camp. "I have directed the city manager to expedite the appropriate steps to end the encampment as soon as possible with a safe resolution being absolutely critical to that." His rival Suzanne Anton is living in a similar fantasy land. There is no peaceful way to end the encampment. Even if the protesters are nonviolent as they have sworn they will be, there is no nonviolent way to remove a person who will not budge. At the very least, police will need to grab and drag them.
Being something of a coward, I'm a bit afraid to go back to the site. Robertson is scaring away moderates from the site, leaving behind the more radical hardcores who will make trouble for him. He's made this election issue louder, not made it go away. Well done, sir.
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