There has been much talk lately about the vacation of the various sites occupied by protestors. Those critical of the protest movement have interpreted this as evidence of lack of determination. Yet, as Lindsey Walker put it in her open message to the city of Portland and its occupiers, "who would camp outside if they didn't have to?"

That, of course, leaves those that have to: the people with no houses to go to. The homeless (or rather the houseless, since technically the whole world is their home) were there in Portland and New York before the occupation began, and they are still there now. And while many of the occupiers have a place to go as the nights draw in, the houseless can only look forward to cold nights with, if they are lucky, some shelter against the weather.

It is to Portland's credit that the first phase of the occupation has come to an end without serious confrontation between the occupiers and the city. When Mayor Adams said that the occupation had gone too far many occupiers looked hard at what the occupation had become and agreed that this was not a positive direction for the city or the occupied parks; quite a few had moved out by Friday night.

The police sensibly did not attempt to march in immediately after the deadline expired. Their later move to break up the remaining camp early in the morning after the victorious protestors had gone home to a well-deserved sleep was perhaps somewhat cynically timed, but tactical decisions of that nature are never easy until it comes to second-guessing. The fact remains that Portland's mayor (unlike New York's) has managed to show respect for the aims of the occupy movement and a willingness to work with it which the movement has reciprocated.

My friend Kirby remarked today that the opposite of occupation is vacation, and that if America as a nation were to vacate the places it invades more readily then its foreign wars might be less expensive in human lives as well as financially. In the case of the occupation, however, people have returned to their former lives with a feeling of solidarity and (in some cases) a wish to continue to help those who will be left behind. Some of those houseless people were beginning to find reasons for self-esteem during the occupation, and it will be good if they aren't forgotten in the aftermath.

The solidarity is something that will continue to build. People have seen a broad coalition of forces getting involved in occupy, and it just might be enough to get the whole country shouting "I'm as mad as hell, and I am going to do something about it." It is no longer enough for the mealy-mouthed to pay lip service to the complaints of the majority (remember, the 99% is made up of left and right). Something fuundamental now has to happen in response to the honesty of the occupy movement.