On a cool evening one year ago today, nearly 100 people gathered in Central Park for the first meeting of what would ultimately become Occupy Davis.
Occupy Wall Street had already gained a ton of momentum in New York and the movement was springing up in cities all over the world.
During that first Occupy Davis meeting in Central Park, attendees discussed the initial choices to be made by the movement: Is everybody allowed to join? What are the movement's objectives? Should those objectives be concretely defined?
Watch video from the first meeting >>
As you can see in the video, the meeting really was an introduction and a launching point. Much more time was spent posing questions than answering them.
Shortly after that meeting, Occupy Davis set up a 24/7 Occupation in Central Park. For several weeks, the city didn't seem to mind, but by mid-November, Occupy Davis was being asked to leave.
Police mentioned issues such as a flammable tarp they were using as a tent, violation of camping ordinances, harm to the grass, and more.
By Nov. 17, former Councilmember Stephen Souza sat down with the Occupiers to discuss the need for an exit strategy.
Meanwhile, just a few blocks away, a separate Occupy UC Davis movement was taking shape on campus. The movement on campus started with a couple of marches and a brief occupation of Mrak Hall. This was largely in response to rising tuition rates and accusations of university privatization.
One day after the Souza sat down with the Occupiers in Central Park, the Occupy UC Davis group began its indefinite occupation of the quad.
We all know where this is going...
Riot police entered the quad, Lt. Pike deployed his pepper spray and Davis suddenly became the center of the Occupy Movement. The madness that ensued is what most people remember.
But it's worth remembering that six weeks before that -- on Oct. 7 of last year -- the Occupy Movement touched down in Davis for the first time. In Central Park; not on the Quad.
