2 Question Response
I’m studying for my Geography class and don’t understand how to answer this. Can you help me study?
The occupation of public space is one type of political protest that has a long history in the city of Seattle. The Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center (Links to an external site.), El Centro de la Raza (Links to an external site.), and the Northwest African American Museum (Links to an external site.) were all established through activist-led occupations.
Read this short article about the history of these occupations: Martinson, Nicole. 2020. “CHOP May Not Have Lasted, But These Occupied Spaces Did.” Seattle Met, July 6, 2020 (Links to an external site.). (PDF version available here)
Then listen to this 10-minute clip from the podcast, “Blueprint” in which UW Professor of Landscape Architecture Jeffrey Hou discusses the history of occupation in Seattle and the Capitol Hill Occupied/Organized Protest (CHOP) that took place this summer: “Reclaiming the City” (Links to an external site.)
After reading the short article and listening to the podcast clip, answer the following questions:
- In what ways does this form of protest, the occupation of public space or the occupation of abandoned public property, seek to change the meanings and purposes of these spaces?
- What role does this kind of occupation, and public protests more broadly, play in advancing social justice? Draw on this week’s readings and/or lectures to support your argument.
