PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Occupy Providence protesters intend to temporarily move their tents so the city can prepare the sprinkler system in Burnside Park for winter, but they say they will set up camp again.
Activist Michael McCarthy told The Associated Press on Monday that Occupy is working in cooperation with the city, which has said it needs to prepare the park ahead of winter. He said the tents and other belongings will be moved off the grass — to the park's concrete walkways or possibly outside the park's perimeter — to accommodate the winterization project.
McCarthy said the city requested two days' notice; the move could happen this week. The large wooden structures that house the movement's kitchen and media group have already been dismantled. He said the encampment will be set up again after the sprinkler project.
The city ordered the protesters to leave Burnside Park no later than Oct. 30 — a deadline that was ignored. Calling a permanent occupation "unsafe and unwise," Providence Mayor Angel Taveras said the city would go to court to force the activists out.
An attorney for the protesters, Miriam Weizenbaum, asked city officials to delay legal action and has been in talks with Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare and City Solicitor Jeffrey Padwa.
Pare was not immediately available for comment Monday but has described those discussions as "constructive."
As Occupy Providence looks to reorganize the camp for winter, McCarthy said protesters are considering consolidating its tents into one area of the park, mostly for safety reasons.
The protesters have been camping at Burnside without a permit since Oct. 15. They have voted as a group to stay, saying they are engaging in constitutionally protected free speech.