The Portland City Council tonight will decide whether to continue to allow Occupy Maine protesters to camp at Lincoln Park.

In anticipation that the council will reject their request for a permit, members of the Occupy Maine movement are preparing for a forced eviction from the park.

On its Facebook page, Occupy Maine announced today that it is forming a “police raid support team.”

Occupy Maine is looking for bloggers and people with cameras to document police behavior.
It is also looking for people to volunteer to serve as “human barricades” by standing between police and the camp.

In addition, the group is looking for people not willing to be arrested to stand on the other side of the street, “watching the police and making sure they are acting safely. They can call out ‘shame’ for brutality, hold signs, candles, pray, etc.”

The group also is looking for a place to store personal belongings so they aren’t destroyed.

The council meeting begins at 7 p.m. Occupy Maine scheduled a protest at 6 p.m. on the front steps of City Hall.

Portland Press Herald reporter Tom Bell will be live-blogging the City Council meeting. Follow his reports on Twitter: @TomBellPortland.