Occupy Delaware, Wilmington prepare for August trial

Occupy Delaware says it still hopes to resolve its dispute with the City of Wilmington “amicably” over its encampment at Peter Spencer Plaza.

Chancery Court has set a trial for August 20th and 21st on the city’s move to evict Occupy Delaware from the site where it set up a tent village six months ago. 

City officials have said they will not act to forcefully remove the Occupy demonstrators until the issue is heard in court.  However, Mayor James Baker is disappointed the group did not agree to take down its encampment when it was made aware of what the city sees as serious safety issues. 

Baker called it a “seizure of public property.” 

“I am grateful to the Chancery Court for agreeing to hear our arguments about Occupy’s serious violations of our earlier agreement and our contention that our nation’s important protections of free speech were never intended to involve the seizure of land rightfully owned by 100% of the people of our great city,” Baker said in a statement. 

Earlier in the month, the Mayor said Occupy Delaware was preventing others from enjoying Spencer Plaza, the burial site for African American religious leader Peter Spencer. 

Occupy Delaware has also attended monthly sheriff’s sales and lately has conducted “banksleeps” outside of the sidewalks of Wilmington banks.  Members also took part in a neighborhood community beautification project in Hilltop over the weekend.