Faith groups aided Occupy as winter, police moved in

As Occupy camps nationwide dealt with police crackdowns and the
inevitable onset of winter temperatures, religious communities of all
stripes stepped in with offers of shelter and solidarity.

Soon
after police forcibly evicted the original Occupy Wall Street camp in
New York's Zuccotti Park on November 15, many of the protesters began
sleeping and gathering in church buildings, including Judson Memorial
Church in Greenwich Village.

"The eviction . . . really shifts
what happens here, and it really boomed the movement, because
immediately there was this network in place that we'd developed of
communities throughout New York that were willing to open up their doors
and house the movement," said Michael Ellick, a pastor at Judson
Memorial.