Occu-Pirates? OWS Takes To The High Seas! (Well... To The Hudson River)

On Sunday June 10th, this short video was posted on YouTube. It appears to be a clip showing a boat flying "Occupy Wall Street" banners with a one-man drum circle pounding out a beat on the ship's deck.

"Druid" is the name of the vessel. It is the same 30-foot sailboat seen in the video below (Produced by Stacey Szewczyk).

The boat is an older craft (compared to others in nearby slips), moored in the 79th Street Boat Basin on Manhattan's West Side. The ship also happens to be the first in a what the Occupy Wall Street crowd hopes will become a permanent community on the waters near New York City.

Emily Frost of DNAinfo.com tracked down the intrepid duo seen in the video and shared much of their story with her readers. The boat's owner, Tom Fox claims to be a supporter and drummer from OWS's early days in Zuccotti Park. His banners and drumming have not gone without notice from the City of New York. The would-be Occu-Pirate claims that the Parks Department's Chief Dockmaster, Seth Goodwin has telephoned him and emailed him regarding his protest banners and drumming. The latest email from the city warns:

"As per our telephone conversation, you must immediately remove your vessel from the mooring field at the 79th Street Boat Basin; cease displaying banners on your vessel; and end the noise disturbance you are creating. Any person who engages in disorderly behavior ... may, in addition to any other applicable penalties, be expelled immediately from the marina facility."

Tom Fox tells DNAinfo that this is a First Amendment issue and he is not backing down from either the drumming or flying of the OWS banners. However, Fox does admit to removing the banners and stopping the drumming before he returned to his dock at the boat basin.

Is it legal to be doing this? Fox asserts that he did get clearance from the U.S. Coast Guard prior to beginning his campaign last weekend. In the photo below, Mr Fox and his pal (and drummer) John Eustor show off a document alleged to be USCG approval.

We will keep an eye on the traffic 79th Street Boat Basin. Should a flotilla of OWS-friendly craft start populating the waters, the Blaze will bring you all of the details.