The Occupy protest march from New York's Wall Street to Washington, D.C., has changed its route and will travel along Route 40 through Harford County Friday, bypassing Route 1 and Bel Air and instead making stops in Havre de Grace and Joppatowne.
A small group calling itself Occupy the Highway: The 99% March on Washington, left New York Nov. 9 with plans to walk to Washington by Nov. 23. The arrival date coincides with the day Congressional committees are expected to consider legislation extending tax cuts from the Bush administration.
The marchers are an offshoot of the larger Occupy movement protesting economic and social inequalities which has staged camp-ins in New York and in Baltimore the past.
The group due to march through Harford County was originally planning to follow Route 1 south from Philadelphia, making stops in Rising Sun and then Bel Air either Friday or Saturday. Bel Air officials learned of the planned visit to their town Tuesday and were making preparations, but the route of the marchers later shifted, and they were following Route 40 by Thursday morning.
A website for the group said they are "40 plus and going strong;" however, Havre de Grace Police Department spokesman Jeff Gilpin said Thursday afternoon the group appears to have between 20 to 25 members walking.
Thursday morning, after the route was switched to Route 40, city officials learned the protesters expected to arrive in Havre de Grace around 8 p.m.
Earlier in the day, Gilpin wrote in an email that the city was "trying to figure out the best way to safely accommodate those in the movement." At one point, he said city officials believed the group had lined up lodging in homes or some other place and would not need to camp out.
Around 5:30 p.m. Thursday, however, Gilpin said the city had tentatively decided to allow the group to camp overnight in Havre de Grace's North Park, even though the city has a 10 p.m. curfew and bans camping in the park. Both restrictions could be waived, he said.
Assuming those arrangements are finalized, Gilpin said the group would camp in the vicinity of the Susquehanna Museum at the Lock House, a historic building inside the park that sits along the Susquehanna River.
Gilpin also said the city will ask the marchers to be moving out of Havre de Grace by 7 a.m. Friday to avoid traffic along the highway.
On their Twitter account, NYCmarch2DC, the group wrote its plans on traveling from Havre de Grace to Joppatowne Friday, where they will stop until resuming their march the following morning – Saturday. It is about 15 miles from Havre de Grace to Joppatowne, which are at opposite ends of Harford County.
Obstacles such as the Thomas J. Hatem Memorial Bridge, which doesn't allow foot traffic, are being resolved through the Twitter page, with locals offering to drive the protesters among other options, according to the group.
The NYCmarch2DC Twitter account also at one point indicated the marchers were looking to civic groups and churches for assistance during the Joppatowne visit.
The Maryland State Police's concern is the marchers safety, Lt. Charles Moore, commander of the state police's Bel Air Barrack, said.
Moore, whose detachment is responsible for Harford County, said troopers plan on checking in on the group while it travels along Route 40 "once in a while to make sure they're safe."
Havre de Grace's Gilpin and Moore said there is a concern about anti-Occupy protests. Both their agencies will be working to prevent any violent confrontations.
Check back at http://www.exploreharford.com for updates on this developing story.