Occupation ending soon?

The photo above is of Occupy Auckland at 8:15am this morning. As it happens, Auckland Council today took the first steps toward removing the protestors, apparently by preparing the groundwork for court action. The New Zealand Police have said they won’t enforce trespass notices issued by councils because of what they call “serious Bill of Rights implications”. They would be obligated to enforce a court order.

I think that the sympathy some people originally had for the protestors is all but gone. This has been going on since middle of last month, and the majority of people are frankly sick of it. The new grass area where their tents are has been ruined, and it will take tens of thousands of dollars to replace. That’s on top of the tens of thousands of dollars spent on extra security during their occupation.

At first they seemed an inchoate movement, or potential movement, made up of individuals with wildly different agendas. But over time, that lack of focus has left them seeming like mere malcontents, not genuine protestors. After all, most of the issues that protestors in the US are taking on simply aren’t relevant for New Zealand. I know I don’t endorse all the agendas evident among the occupiers, and I’m not at all unique.

I still want to see a peaceful resolution, but a resolution all the same. It’s time for this occupation to end.