rabble received the following letter today from Blake MacLeod in Vancouver with regards to the following petition.

Re: #Occupy Vancouver

Friends, colleagues & fellow travelers,

You may have heard on the news of the tragic death of Ashlie Gough, a 23 year old Victoria woman who had come to the #Occupy Vancouver site at the Vancouver Art Gallery only a day or two earlier to join several friends camping there. Cause of death has yet to be announced, but in the run up to the Nov. 19th civic election, socially progressive Mayor Gregor Robertson is caving to pressure to close down the site.

Time is of the essence, so please consider signing & forwarding this petition to your contacts.

This worldwide movement is established now in thousands of town & cities on all 7 continents involving 100’s of thousands of global citizens, many of an age largely and hitherto considered disaffected and non participatory in our democracies. In countries where winter approaches especially, our support for #Occupiers is critical.

I have spent many hours at the #OV site, helping to organize several high profile visitors, and just hanging out to be a part of this historic movement. Off site I have spent many hours too, dialoguing with #Occupiers & supporters to add my voice to the mix, offer solidarity, promote the movement through the press and facebook contacts etc. This is my first appeal through email & list serves, and I am doing so because the situation has become dire. Please sign the petition now, and consider distributing through your list serves & contacts.

An earlier near fatal overdose, and Ashlie Gough’s death at #OV on Saturday are being used as reasonable cause to close down the site, and while it is certain that it will simply pop up elsewhere, or even reappear in the same location but in a different form, the spirit of the movement needs bolstering right now, by a divergent representation of society, to show the breadth of support it enjoys. For every #Occupier there are thousands standing in solidarity and cheering who are not counted. This is a time to be counted.

What we must understand, and what is not being reported by the main stream media, is that the #Occupy Vancouver site is drawing many people with troubled hearts to it because of the strong fellowship and ‘safe’ environment it provides away from the danger of the streets and broken homes. It is natural that people will be drawn to the flame of hope, and the comfort of being in a loving, nurturing community, but more important is that being at the #OV site represents an opportunity for marginalized people to be heard. Let’s not let this flame be snuffed because of short term thinking and the cyclical servitude of political opportunism.

Please add your support for this movement by signing the petition calling on the Mayor & the City of Vancouver to follow the lead of Irvine, California and Los Angeles, California and endorse the occupation. This #Occupy movement could change everything…in fact, it already has.

Thank you,

Blake MacLeod, Vancouver