Local Jinkenstown man harassed Occupy Jenkinstown participant declaring his contempt for the first Amendment and the homeless. "Here's a baggy for you to crap in so you don't have to shit in my park,” said the man before climbing back into his almost new mid. Sized SUV and driving off.
When asked why he hated people who were only expressing their fist Amendment Rights under the Bill of Rights and why he was so contemptuous of the underprivileged, he refuse to comment.
He did all of this while a grandmother and her infant grandchild were feet away on a park bench.
The irony of the situation is that the Jenkinstown occupiers have made it one of their top priorities to ensure that they not only leave the park unmarred by trash that either they or the locals produce, but have actively sought to make improvements in the park such as planting flowers and a bird feeder to attract small bird to the park.
However;r this isn't the only complainer, the owner of the toy store across the street from the park has accosted the occupy protesters on several occasions. “ Occupy Jenkins town has driven down my business,” said Kate Peettit owner operator of Rhinoceros Toys, “there has been a direct correlation between when they moved into the park and the decline of my sales.”
The stores decline in sales is happening despite the fact that more and more families are using the park, which wasn't used nearly as much before the Occupiers move their tent into the park to raise awareness of the many social and political issues facing our country today, such as money in politics, corporate and governmental corruption, the failing education system and human and civil rights losses in this country and around the world.
“Most of the community seems to support us, we're getting way more positive feedback than we are negative,” said Paul Klemmer. Many of those who have been enjoying the park on their lunch breaks or in the evenings, now that it's warmer have had positive things to say in support of the small but growing contingent of occupiers at the park that has been affectionately renamed Benjamin Lay Plaza by the occupiers.
“We're going to start using our presence here to be an information hub about not only the issues our country is facing but also for the community, so that people can learn about community events and happenings, since the actual community board hasn't been changed in a long time,” said Trish Shore a part time Occupier and full time supporter from Elkins park.
One of the biggest complaints from Peetit is that the Occupiers can't guarantee that new occupiers won't come along and refuse to move from the space when the Farmers Market begins on Wednesday's starting in May.
The Occupy Jenkinstown General Assembly has issued a public statement reached at through consensus that it would in fact move two weeks prior to the Market's opening to one of the locations to be suggested by the township copies of the statement where sent to the city council.
Small Occupies like the one in Jenkintown are continuing to crop up all across the nation in response to the social issues, human and civil rights issues and economic disparities that most Americans are facing on a day to day basis as those we have elected to represent our interests continue to erode the Constitution and corporations continue to make bank off the backs of the poor and eroding middle classes. More and more communities are feeling a greater sense of disfranchisement in the wake of the Class warfare on the people of America perpetrated by the top earners and our elected government.
