The plot of land outside the City of New Orleans' seat is now into her second week as occupied territory. In Duncan Plaza, across the street from City Hall, about 100 protesters have constructed a self contained tent city, and taken up residence in solidarity with the national movement that sprung from Occupy Wall Street. Coalescing around the gazebo, which has been renamed Duncan Center, the encampment now has its own library, cafeteria, composting restrooms, amphitheater, and security force. Days are divided into working group sessions and chores that keep the space running.

The political goals of the organization are still fluid. Although an opposition to power elite is universally embraced, the details are hashed out in nightly meetings of the group's General Assembly. The meetings, often contentious, are held in the amphitheatre, and governed by a custom created system of parliamentrary procedure. The ParliPro itself is often subject of heated debate, as are the organization's tactics and goals.

Said, John, a student attending one session, "We have anarchists and libertarians and environmentalists. They each have different agendas; so it takes a lot of work and talk to find a common ground amongst everyone."

The tensions reached a boiling point earlier this week when one organizer, known only as "Joe" or "Joe the Cripple" stormed off in anger. After leaving OccupyNOLA, the disgruntled protester changed the passwords on the group's computer accounts, effectively locking them out of their fundraising and social networking tools. In addition, the occupants are concerned that "Joe" will abscond with an important package from their national network. A communique issued today urges "interception" of the package.

In the interest of keeping our readers informed, NoDef has set up our own press-camp-within-the-camp. Our newest bureau office (pictured) will operate 24/7.

For the weekend ahead, #OccupyNOLA has turned their focus to additional direct action. On Saturday the group has planned a "Second Line for Solidarity" The march will begin Saturday at 2 p.m. in Duncan Plaza, with a route that is not being released. The purpose is primarilly to bring support to the Occupy movement, but a splinter group will also break off and protest the Federal Reserve Bank directly.