I had forgotten that Philadelphia was set to be the location of the Occupy National Gathering until I had to drive through Center City en route to New Jersey on Saturday. And then morbid curiosity led me to check the local news…

Philadelphia is once again being referred to as “the cradle of liberty” although many Americans would likely disagree with the terminology this time around. The City of Brotherly Love has the dubious honor of hosting both the “Occupy National Gathering” (#NatGat on Twitter) – which is joined by the still breathing “Occupy Philadelphia” – and “the 99% Declaration,” another occupy-inspired group.

The 99% Declaration, a group whose main focus is to get money out of politics, is holding a conference this week called “Continental Congress 2.0.” Those involved with the Occupy National Gathering were careful to point out that they were not part of the same event, but that “we are here with the people of Philadelphia, not against the people of Philadelphia. We are them and they are us, so there’s really no distinction to be made,” said occupy organizer Larry Swetman. Swetman also promised a peaceful gathering, despite the fact that most other occupy related events have turned violent and/or destructive at some point or another.He did, however, make it clear that “because of the revolutionary nature of the cause” the group would not be obtaining any permits from the city.

There was some outrage at the beginning of the five-day event when occupiers were informed that they would not be receiving free water from the city fire department as per Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter. Understandably, Nutter did not want to be seen as condoning the occupiers. However, some occupy-friendly blogs posted a few “harmless” statements on the subject…

Anyone spending hours out in this weather needs to drink water so as not to pass out from heat exhaustion… If anyone dies as a result of this, Mayor Nutter should be arrested for manslaughter. – Undernews

Others posited that Nutter’s failure to support the occupiers was more likely related to a fear that campaign donors might find out that he was seen as helpful to the movement. Possibly due to increased pressure from the unfavorable press, reports this morning indicate that occupiers have once again been granted access to water from at least one fire station near Independence Mall.

Since the National Gathering began on Saturday, there have been 28 arrests. Protesters at 19th street caused the backup of several city buses along with other traffic including a scooter driver who “claimed he was part of the 99%, and they were ruining his day anyway.”

The National Gathering, which includes speakers such as Matt Taibbi and Alexis Goldstein, and classes in “tech strategy” and web-building, is expected to bring in up to 1500 protestors. It wraps up July 4th, ending with the beginning of a 99 mile march from Philadelphia to Wall Street.

Thanks for the loan, New York, but tomorrow you can have your hippies back.