And how much is their protest costing the city?
Most of us will have a warm place to weather the storm over the weekend, but not the folks who have been sleeping in tents on the hard concrete of Dilworth Plaza. They got a taste of it Thursday night.
It got down to 38 degrees in Center City Thursday night. It was cold, but nowhere near the deep freeze of winter, and apparently not enough to crack the resolve of the protesters; at least not yet.
"We'll be fine," said Moussa Mroueh. "One woman kept candles in her tent and were on fire today, but I don't think you should keep any morecandles in your tent, but I think I can bare it."
The encampment has been broken up into working groups. With cold and snow in the forecast, the Comfort working group has switched into high gear.
"We have a new comfort station located in the center of the plaza, and we have requesting more items for the winter, jackets, gloves, blankets, wool socks, and they are coming in and being distributed," said Chris Goldstein.
The warm clothes go quickly as soon as they're dropped off. And they will need them.
Some of the tents are comfortable and snug, while others are thin and flimsy. They'll be no match for the ice and snow of winter.
Organizers are bringing in fortifications, and they say adverse weather is nothing new.
"We've had some inclement weather, high winds and rains up to this point that have tested people's resolve, and every morning that I come here, people are right back to work and doing what they are supposed to be doing," said Randy Quinn.
But it's tough to change the world when basic survival is the main focus. Nonetheless, the folks out here today say they will be here straight through the winter, no matter how cold or miserable it gets.
"This is all about solidarity," says Marcus Jameson. "It's not solidarity if I decide to leave because it's cold."
They will get their first big test on the weekend. And will see how many of these tents are left standing next week.
