VICTORIA B次元官网网址� A full three weeks after the Occupy Wall Street protest camp sprang up in New York City, a few stragglers announced they were almost ready to B次元官网网址淥ccupy Maple RidgeB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淥ccupy Revelstoke.B次元官网网址�

Perhaps other pathetic protests are still being dreamed up around B.C. But most have already packed up, and in places such as Prince George, these anti-capitalist rallies never led to an illegal squat.

LetB次元官网网址檚 be clear about our squats, the ones in Canada and particularly B.C. They are explicitly anti-capitalist and statist in their message, which is presumably why they were funded by government unions.

Despite the free food, power and porta-potties, these squats quickly became filthy and dangerous as the chronic street drug population replaced the spoiled young drummers and hula-hoopers who camped out to curse corporations on their iPhones.

And yes, squats are still illegal here, following a unanimous October decision of the B.C. Court of Appeal against David Arthur Johnston.

This pretend-homeless guyB次元官网网址檚 antics are at the root of the latest squatter outbreak. Victoria and its courts caved in to Johnston and allowed camping on public property at night. But he demanded 24-hour squatting rights, because some supposedly homeless people are supposedly insomniacs too. Turns out there were plenty of shelter beds on which to snooze away the day or night, and his vague claim of a constitutional right to camp on public property was summarily dismissed.

I had a brief exchange with an Occupy Vancouver B次元官网网址渙rganizer,B次元官网网址� one Min Reyes, as she tried to rouse the reluctant radicals of Maple Ridge. Reyes defines herself in her Twitter profile as B次元官网网址淔lirting with Anarchism while making love to Socialism,B次元官网网址� which sums up B.C.B次元官网网址檚 occupy movement as well as anything.

B次元官网网址淢y personal approach to the analysis of society relies on MarxB次元官网网址檚 historical materialism,B次元官网网址� Reyes writes on her blog. After majoring in Marxism at SFU, she moved on to BCITB次元官网网址檚 journalism program, but dropped out after a couple of weeks because her studies B次元官网网址渃ompromised my personal values.B次元官网网址� Turns out BCIT is all about B次元官网网址渟killsB次元官网网址� to get a B次元官网网址渏ob.B次元官网网址� Bummer.

A glimpse of these B次元官网网址渧aluesB次元官网网址� was on display when a reporter from CKNW radio tried to cover a heroin overdose at Occupy Vancouver. She was shouted down and accused of shaping the news to benefit B次元官网网址淐oke and McDonalds.B次元官网网址�

At Occupy Victoria, which I visited a few times before it descended into another needle park, signs warned against B次元官网网址渃hem trails,B次元官网网址� smart meters and corporations. Campers were urged to B次元官网网址渘ationalize finance, energy and foodB次元官网网址� industries. Five-year plan for tractor production, anyone?

Nationalizing banks is also at the top of Occupy Vancouver's long, pretentious list of demands.

Why is this stale leftist ideology so pervasive? HereB次元官网网址檚 a hint. The union representing these kidsB次元官网网址� teachers is demanding higher corporate taxes to pay for their typically self-serving, financially illiterate contract demands.

Here in Victoria, as in Vancouver, the huge growth in shelter, food, clothing and transition housing service doesnB次元官网网址檛 impress the hardcore system users. VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 mayor built his reputation with years of street outreach work, but heB次元官网网址檚 still targeted for the ugliest treatment, including vandalism at his family home.

Victoria council even kowtowed by voting to B次元官网网址渟upportB次元官网网址� the squat next to city hall, where Johnston used to camp. Then they cut off the power and water, which had been commandeered rather than set up by city staff at taxpayersB次元官网网址� expense, as was the case in Vancouver.

In B.C.B次元官网网址檚 most B次元官网网址減rogressiveB次元官网网址� cities, weB次元官网网址檙e getting used to encountering public areas fouled by vomit, feces and used needles.

Tom Fletcher is legislative reporter and columnist for Black Press and BCLocalnews.com