A fight broke out — well, almost.
Two men shouted at each other, and then suddenly, one of them was on the ground while the other proceeded to kick his leg towards him, as if to strike him.
Shortly, a Long Beach Police Department car pulled up and beeped its siren, signaling for them to break it up. The two guys stopped and the car drove off.
But it didn’t end there.
The younger male, dressed in head-to-toe black, wasn’t quite through. He turned toward the other man, and laughed as he proceeded to tell him that he would cut him and slice him like a tomato if he ever messed with him again.
Instances like these may be common in downtown’s Lincoln Park, where the city’s homeless community congregates.
The park has also been the campground for the activist group Occupy Long Beach since Oct. 15.
Occupy Long Beach aims to give everyone a voice and doesn’t turn anyone away who wants to join and become a member, including the homeless.
However, after two fatal shootings that occurred at an Occupy demonstration, one in Burlington and the other in Oakland, plus several sexual assaults at various encampments — the risks of the movements are starting to ware on the participants.
“There was a lot of fear. A lot of people that said they didn’t feel safe,” said Jay Matthew, Occupy Long Beach committee member.
Matthew said that some members said they left the park due the homeless people. But Matthew believes the issue ran deeper.
When you bring people together from different backgrounds and different walks of life, it’s understandable for there to be issues, Matthew said.
“It’s like religion,” Matthew said. “Religion’s fine in a bubble, but once it meets another religion, there tends to be a clash.”
Matthew said that things are better now and the members have since regrouped for general assembly meetings, but in a new location.
They are now holding their meetings in front of city hall, which he feels is more symbolic.
Matthew said that the group has had a pretty consistent number of people and has plans to expand further.
“I think the most we had here was 86 people camped around,” Matthew said. “And now that we extended to that corner, it’s just going to get bigger.”
While the group has visions of growing, the threat of being shut down by police due to incidences at other Occupy camps is a growing concern.
According to Occupy Long Beach committee member Micaela Salatino, there’s little that the group can do other than keep a close eye and act as peacekeepers to diffuse problems when they arise.
“Some people step up and try to break it up and that’s really all we can do,” Salatino said. “We can’t tell anyone you can’t be here.”
Salatino slept at the park during the first two nights of the encampment, but now stays only during the day.
“The police circle around a lot,” Salatino said. “I guess in a way if something happened, the police department is right here.”
For more information about Occupy Long Beach, visit occupylongbeach.org.
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