The Occupy Park City movement, still involving only a handful of people, on Wednesday discussed what it could accomplish during the Sundance Film Festival, indicating for the time being that a major demonstration is not planned.
Eight people attended the meeting at the Park City Library and Education Center, which was held just more than two weeks before the opening of the festival. Occupy Park City figures had previously said they would be active during Sundance. The festival draws large crowds and a worldwide media contingent.
It seems Occupy Park City has an interest in a Sundance entry entitled “We’re Not Broke.” The documentary deals with corporations and tax issues, according to a description published by festival organizers. Occupy Park City and the wider Occupy Wall Street movement sharply criticize corporate America, including tax policies that the critics say favor the wealthy.
The documentary is scheduled to screen six times, four of which are booked in Park City-area theaters. The first screening is at 9 p.m. on Jan. 22 at Temple Har Shalom.
Lizzy Latenser, a Sundance spokesperson who attended the Wednesday meeting, told the Occupy Park City group a “We’re Not Broke” screening could be “prime time to do something.”
“If you had specific issues, that would be a really good time,” Latenser said.
Sundance has long been a hotspot for activism, particularly by the political left. There have been anti-war demonstrations and public animal-rights events that were designed for a broad audience. There have also been demonstrators at individual screenings.
“We’re cool and we should definitely take that opportunity,” Tyler Galovich, the leader of Occupy Park City, said, adding that Sundance organizers have offered tickets to screenings that are of interest to the movement.
Galovich said Occupy Park City does not want to “disrespect (Sundance) as much as possible.”
Meanwhile, there was talk that Occupy Park City could show films in a high-profile location like Miners Park on Main Street. The people at the meeting did not commit to doing so, though. The films would feature topics of importance to the movement.
The Wednesday meeting was held hours after Galovich and another person dismantled the Occupy Park City encampment at City Park. It had been in place since late October. Galovich said at the meeting the group was unable to raise enough money to keep a portable toilet at the site, forcing the teardown of the encampment.
Galovich emptied the contents of the tent-like structure onto the grass before loading chairs, camping equipment, extension cords, a trash can, caution tape, a pan, canned food and other items into a pickup truck.
Galovich has said the encampment was not as important to the Occupy Park City movement as it was when the group was formed. He has said the group’s work can be accomplished without the encampment.
The Park City Police Department sent regular patrols to check the encampment. Nobody was there on many occasions, police logs showed.