• Photo by Grant Baldwin
• CMPD Capt. Jeff Estes squares off with longtime occupier Ayende Alcala (left)

When CL's print issue went to bed Monday afternoon, police had visited the Occupy Charlotte campsite earlier in the day for a relatively casual chat with campers about their imminent eviction from the Old City Hall grounds on East Trade Street. Within an hour after CL's deadline, some 60 officers moved on to the site and several protesters began practicing the civil disobedience they'd trained for over the weekend. Seven people were arrested.

This morning, police returned to the scene, making it clear that protesting at Old City Hall will no longer be easy or laid back. Charlotte law enforcement aims to take seriously the new city ordinances banning camping and making demonstrations as complicated as possible.

• Photo by Grant Baldwin
• Capt. Estes of the CMPD reads the new city ordinance to members of Occupy Charlotte

Some observers fear there will be a confrontation, although others say that fear is overstated. The one thing that's certain right now is the uncertainty surrounding what can stay and what can go; what kind of tent is considered a "living accommodation" and what kind isn't. When CMPD Capt. Jeff Estes showed up at around 5 p.m. today to read the new ordinance to the group, the occupiers "inundated" him with questions, said photographer Grant Baldwin.

CL reporter Fionn said the mood remained generally calm, and that the group had undergone rigorous civil disobedience training earlier in the day. "They made it clear to the police that they have questions about the ordinance and the police also admitted that they're not clear about it either" said Fionn. "In fact, the police advised the protesters to consult their attorneys."

Fionn and Baldwin will remain on the scene through the night, as rumors have spread that some kind of police action may happen between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. Monday. That has not been confirmed by the police or the city. Also present on the scene is Isaac Sturgill, director of the Charlotte School of Law chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, who told Fionn that the Guild "wants the police and city to know they're watching." Sturgill wrote a "City Forum" column on the topic for CL in December.

At around 9 p.m., the Charlotte occupiers held a march to show solidarity with their counterparts from Occupy Oakland, where demonstrators broke into the city hall and damaged property after police arrested hundreds of protesters. Catch up with that story at The Christian Science Monitor.

• Dalton

“I am proud to belong to a party that stereotypes no one and respects everyone,” Dalton said, as he railed against the Republicans in the state legislature.

The modest, efficient and often acquiescent Democratic Party image of recent years, personified by Gov. Bev Perdue, was not present Saturday afternoon. “It is hard to make progress if you’re pointed in the wrong direction,” Dalton continued. “And Pat McCrory and the Republican leadership have pointed us in the wrong direction.”

What was supposed to be just another mundane winter afternoon of meetings for the N.C. Democratic Party's executive committee — before their annual Sanford-Hunt-Frye dinner later in the eventing — became a noisy and crowed affair at Greensboro's Marriott Hotel, full of anticipation about the governor’s race.

North Carolina Democrats lost the General Assembly in 2010 for the first time since Reconstruction, and they were supposed to be still reeling from last week’s news that Perdue will not run for reelection. Instead, the scene was one of pumped-up party activists seemingly freed now from Perdue’s feeble approval ratings, and eager to take the fight to Republicans. Around 10 a.m., the hotel's upper meeting halls were filled with county chairs, vice chairs and notable local party representatives including Aisha Dew of Mecklenburg County.

• Urban Ministry
• Moore Place: This sketch is now a reality

Construction of Moore Place began in August 2010, when officials broke ground at the 929 Moretz Avenue location, just off North Graham Street. Since then, community homeless activists and others have put tremendous resources and volunteer hours into completing the project.

The Urban Ministry web page for Moore House offers these details on how the cutting-edge facility will benefit all Charlotteans:

Modeled after successful communities across the country, Moore Place will offer 85 efficiency apartments with on-site case management and 24-hour security for chronically homeless men and women. This will be the only option in Charlotte for chronically homeless women and a cornerstone piece of Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness. Moore Place will cost an estimated $10 million, which has already been raised through a combination of private, corporate, foundation and public monies.

Construction costs for Moore Place along with operating reserves are 95% raised through a combination of private, corporate, foundation and public monies. Residents will pay 30% of their income for rent and utilities and be responsible for their own cooking and cleaning of their homes.

For more on Moore, go here.

For details on today's open house, contact Katie Church at 980-224-9256.