Occupy Charlottesville is no longer what it set out to be. Those are the words of now former member Evan Knappenberger.
Knappenberger announced his departure from the group last Saturday and said the group has lost touch with its original message and he is afraid the movement as a whole is headed in a “downward spiral.”
“A group of individuals with personal vendettas, axes to grind, has gradually taken control of the park,” he wrote in a public email on Saturday. “It is to the point now, where if you watch the videos, they have corrupted the consensus process, and turned the group in an immoderate direction. They are now resorting to personal attacks out of fear and anger, and are censoring those that disagree with them.”
Furthermore, Knappenberger, an Albemarle High School graduate, said he wants to disassociate himself with the movement and warns others to do the same.
“The general tone of fear and mistrust is so high, they are talking about snitches and moles… they are playing around with unusual definitions of ‘self-defense’ and ‘non-violence’… they have lost sight of their own values and even their consensus process. The revolution has begun eating its own babies,” he said.
After three homeless men were arrested early this month and charged with being drunk in public, trespassing and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, among other charges, the camp outspokenly distanced itself from the individuals, who, occupiers say, were not part of the movement. Yet, the incident raised safety concerns.
Lt. Ronnie Roberts, public information officer with Charlottesville Police, told C-VILLE then that aside from those arrests, the protest has never escalated to dangerous and has been peaceful and that occupiers have been in "constant" contact with police.
City Spokesperson Ric Barrick told C-VILLE that while the city has issued the movement automatic 3-day permits for more than a month, it does not intend to issue any after Thanksgiving.
Check back for more on this story throughout the week. For background on the local movement, click here and here.
