Middle-of-the-night enforcement of park boundaries. Belongings confiscated. Arrests and trials in court.

Despite all that, Occupy Honolulu says it’s not going anywhere.

The group sent an open letter to supporters, city officials and media Thursday night explaining the purpose of the encampment at Thomas Square, asking for support and promising to stay put.

Here’s the full letter:

Aloha e,

The (de)Occupy Honolulu Thomas Square encampment was installed on November 5, 2011 to stand in solidarity with the worldwide Occupy Wall Street movement, which has been addressing the imbalances and injustices inherent in existing financial and political systems. Necessary and urgent discussion in regards to this issue, which directly affects most people today, and other relevant and inter-related issues are the reason why we MUST have an open, accessible, and public space that is available for people to assemble peacefully at all times. We established the encampment in order to provide a common space for citizens to gather and participate in creative solutions, in accordance with constitutional law, whenever they are able.

We do understand that some people have experienced inconvenience by our struggle to maintain an encampment. If we had not been forced to the far edges of the sidewalk by constantly shifting legislation, we assure you we would not be setting up our 24/7 free speech zones there. We have made several attempts and appeals to the City officials to find a way to work together to ensure people’s ongoing rights to freedom of speech while maintaining public safety and accessibility.

While we stand in full solidarity with the plight of the houseless population on Oahu, we are not a “homeless camp,” as may be a perception by some people. Please understand, it is a challenge for us to maintain a presence in public as we do, especially with police and governmental pressure to dismantle our efforts. Be assured, we are not here to “make house.” We are here to create a sustainable space in “the Commons” that allows for peaceful assembly and freedom of speech at all times. We chose Thomas Square because it holds great cultural and historical significance for sovereign rights.

Let it be known: we have no intention of backing down or giving up our rights to assemble peacefully in the public arena 24/7. We know our rights and we will continue to defend them if need be. Instead of continually trying to strong arm us, why not sit at the table with us to develop some real solutions? We invite the opportunity for reasonable and peaceful discussion of the many issues at hand.

In spite of the challenges we face, we are becoming more passionate and organized than ever. The local (de)Occupy movement is much larger than the few tents that remain at Thomas Square. We invite everyone who feels the call, from near and far, to participate in whatever capacity they choose.

If you would like to learn more about who we are and what we are doing, please:

Go to the open forum webpage: www.deoccupyhonolulu.org
Join our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/OccupyHonolulu or follow us on Twitter: @occupyhonolulu and #OHNL

Or, just come by and talk story.

We call out to one and all, please, join us!

We stand with the 99%.

Mahalo nui,
(de)Occupy Honolulu General Assembly