The Case of the 99% vs the 99%

One of the things that has astounded me about the Tent Council, among many, is their lack of cooperation with the Fire Department. Particularly, because most of them are working people, and most consider themselves to be members of the 99%.

Back in the first week, I heard the VFD talking amongst themselves in fear that the tents were a serious hazard. This is not something that anyone disagreed with- so, I suggested we contact the VFD and work together to build a fire plan. The idea was accepted and, at first, embraced by people living in the tents. We built fire lanes, adjusted the tarps, and made a safer place for them to live.

Each time the VFD come to do an inspection they find that changes from the day before had been once again reversed. At times, it looks like they are intentionally antagonizing the VFD- a case of the 99% vs. the 99%. The fire chief best explains in the quote below… (press for link to the original story)

“We’ve found that we’ve had to repeatedly say the same message over and over again to the point that we gave them detailed instructions a couple of days ago exactly what I’ve been instructing my all my staff to be stating and doing,”

The real question is, why are people doing such self-destructive behavior? Who is telling them this is a good idea, and why isn’t anyone trying to stop it?