Forum Post: Occupy Union Square, but don't force out the Union Sq Greenmarket
Posted 12 years ago on March 22, 2012, 10:02 p.m. EST by Pinwheel
(10)
from New York, NY
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
Occupy Union Square -- but has anyone been considering the impact of Occupation on the Union Square Greenmarket, which runs Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays?
I shop there each week, and I know the farmers who haul their produce and other goods at 4:00 AM from outside NYC will not be amused to find the park barricaded and a mass of people with placards blocking their stand locations. The greenmarket represents a good way of living -- the type of food production/consumption we should be wholeheartedly supporting. THIS is real food.
I joined this forum for this very purpose of asking OWS to please stay clear of the greenmarket stands areas. Ideally, OWS would stay clear of all of Union Square as a site for "occupying." Impeding people from getting to/from the greenmarket four times a week would be detrimental to the farmers.
Thanks for listening/considering.
It is the NYPD that is impeding people, not OWS.
Occupiers can easily prevent farmers from getting into the park to sell their produce -- not intentionally maybe, but imagine hundreds of OWS supporters standing, sitting, maybe even camping on the greenmarket turf -- what are the farmers going to do when they arrive at 5:00 AM to a mass of people? That's what I'm trying to prevent. '
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This is a ground up revolution, the farmers are the food source for us all. I'm sure the occupiers will be quite interested in meeting and talking with the farmers!
No, no, you are all not getting my point. Several days ago, the Union Square's north end was taken over by Occupy. That is exactly the part of the park WHERE the farmers set up their stands. That is, if hundreds of people are standing/sitting on the space where stands go, then the farmers will not be able to conduct their business. Union Square's Greenmarket is year-round and very very busy. Everyone shops there.
Just thought I'd raise this point because given this, I don't think Occupy Wall Street should use Union Square (or at least the greenmarket portion, which is an L-shape along the northern and also east/west sides of the park). If you do, you'll be impeding the farmers. You really will, and I know OWS wouldn't want to do this.
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On the contrary, I'm sure that Occupy will be welcoming to these farmers. It is the NYPD that will cause an issue, if there is one.
It's actually the farmers who will be welcoming to Occupy -- OWS is taking over the farmer's spots. . ;-) I just am concerned that a lot of Occupy in NYC is made up of non-NYC residents who are (and I mean this in the most literal sense, not as an insult) clueless about the workings of the city. The union sq greenmarket is a HUGE event four times a week. It supplies residents and restaurants with local food and we count on this! Maybe Occupy can move to Tompkins Square Park instead...