Philadelphians mobilizing to occupy City Hall plaza

Alicia Adgate's preparations for the Occupy Philadelphia protest, slated to start at 9 a.m. Thursday on the plaza west of City Hall, included cooking. Lots of it.

"I'm making baked ziti and meatballs, hopefully some chicken soup, things that don't take many ingredients," Adgate, 31, said Wednesday.

The Newtown Square resident, who lost her job in March, was among the many getting ready for what is expected to be a peaceful encampment in Center City to draw attention to the widening gap between the richest Americans and everyone else.

If Tuesday evening's planning meeting at the Arch Street United Methodist Church - jammed with about 1,000 people - was a measure of enthusiasm for the undertaking, Occupy Philadelphia could draw a large crowd, though not always during typical working hours. Many of those planning to participate have jobs.

Committees formed after the meeting were busy Wednesday coordinating food for a crowd and developing a sanitation plan - including a suggestion that the protesters could keep the toilets in Suburban Station nicer than they are now.

City officials were also preparing, meeting for an hour Wednesday with two representatives of Occupy Philadelphia, and two lawyers aiding the group, free-speech attorney Larry Krasner and Mary Catherine Roper of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania.

Mayor Nutter said he supported the group's right to protest.

"They ought to be able to peacefully and respectfully express themselves, and we will still run a government that allows people to get from point A to point B," he said. "But the different issues that they're concerned about - the economy, congressional budget cuts, unemployment, the banking industry - are, quite frankly, issues we need to be concerned about."

Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey was uncertain how many people to expect.

"We have to be flexible enough to deal with whatever the numbers are," Ramsey said. "We don't know how long this is going to last. . . . We'll just have to deal with it a day at a time, and that's just what we'll do. They have a right to protest, and we'll work with them as best we can."

Security was being positioned Wednesday evening, with two police officers stationed at each entry to the City Hall courtyard.