The Occupiers are back! Well, they’ve been scattered all over, but they never went away . . .
This Saturday at noon . . .
All community potluck
Lake Farms Campground: Camp Site 34Share! Everyone welcome for a community gathering of food & good company, including former Madison Occupiers and how they are living legally outside traditional housing.
Bring yourself, a dish to pass, and a camping chair if you have one. 24 over night spots available on a first come, first serve basis, tents not provided. Site closes at 10 for non-campers.
Charcoal, gas grills provided and some food/utensils. Bathrooms and showers available on site. Rides off the Capitol by Veterans Park for those who need at 2 PM and noon.
**Change begins with community.**
Come hear about how hard it is to live legally if you are homeless. Up to 6 people can live at a campsite for $16 per night ($25 if you have electricity) a mile from a bus stop and by a bike path. However, every 14 days they have to move to Middleton (the only other camp site available that is on a bus line and kinda bikable) where they only have electric sites and have to stay there for two days. Of course, this is difficult if no one at the site has a vehicle. It takes three trips and quite a bit of gas money. Its 14 miles and it takes almost a half hour to get there. So with one vehicle it could take 3 or more hours of travel time – not to mention all the take down and set up time.
Even more frustrating is that you can only reserve a camp site for 4 nights in a row, so you never know if you will continue to have a site unless you have a credit card and can go on line and then you can reserve a site, but you have to do it at lest 5 days in advance of when you will be there. And then, you have to pay an additional $10 – tho you can get a free night if you reserve enough nights.
Then, there’s the ice . . . and more ice . . . and more ice . . . and then the soggy cooler food. It’s impossible to keep fresh food around. And with a fire ban, its harder to have light and to cook food. And when it finally rains . . . well, you need lots and lots and lots of tarps. And some luck. And riding your bike in the hot weather is a challenge. And more, lots more.
But hey, at least they are legal and they aren’t getting tickets for doing all kinds of things we all do, but is legal for us because we do it in our homes. If you want to donate to the fund to help people continue camping legally, you can do so through the Tenant Resource Center Housing Crisis Fund, note that it is for the “Basic Needs” fund. Checks can be written to “Housing Crisis Fund” at 1202 Williamson St. #102, Madison, WI 53703 and sent to the Tenant Resource Center. Or, you can donate on-line. If you have tents to donate, feel free to drop them off at 30 N Hancock (leave it by the lockers) or at the Tenant Resource Center.
If you think some of these policies should be changed, email your county board supervisors at county_board_recipients@co.dane.wi.us and let them know what you think. Be sure to leave your address so they know if you are their constituent. The more emails from outside the isthmus, the better!
See you at camp this weekend!
P.S. So far, the people I know who have used the county campgrounds are: Michael, Russ, Sofia, Dan, Lyle, Hap, Kevin, Brian, Steve, Donna, Donny, Donny’s partner? (sorry), Linda – plus I know that we have met other homeless people using the camps that were not associated with Occupy. Sorry if I missed anyone, but I know there are more people hoping to join in at this point.
