Whose Occupancy Is Political?

The political occupation of public space, as presented by David Harvey, focuses on tactics such as protests and demonstrations that occupy the public realm, forcibly converting the space into a political commons. But does this occupation need to be intentional? Do the occupants need to have a choice to be elsewhere? Must there be a call to action? Is that the criteria to make it “political” or “a stance”? What of the unhoused? Of “illegal” immigrants who occupy the city? I feel as though we create questions and policies around these types of occupants. However, we do not view their occupancy as inherently political; instead, we view it as the outcome of policies that already exist. I wonder if this affects our response to them, our compassion towards them?