Thursday, October 27, 2011
Around Town State Slaps Curfew on Capitol, Prepares to Evict Occupy Nashville Protesters
Posted by Jeff Woods on Thu, Oct 27, 2011 at 1:37 PM
"Not tonight," state spokeswoman Lola Potter tells Pith. "We're just now announcing the policy after 1 o'clock in the afternoon, so we're not going to enforce it today. We're going to assume that they are going to do the right thing and get a permit tomorrow. We're going to assume they'll be adults and get a permit. We're hoping they will abide by what we're asking them to do. If they don't they'll be in violation of what we have put in place."
The new policy will force Occupy Nashville to ask for permits from state government each day to demonstrate. Protests will be allowed only between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
"The Plaza is really not structured for habitation, so that's why we have a curfew," Potter says.
The state's reaction to the protesters raises issues: If TPAC guests walk onto the Plaza after 10 p.m. to gaze at the burbling fountain, do they risk arrest? What about an ink-stained wretch strolling happily home from an evening of revelry at the Sports Page? Is this martial law? We asked Potter these questions and her answers were something less than satisfactory: "We have to maintain order," she says. "It's just as easy to walk around it." She did promise to pass along our concerns to the proper authorities.
Update: Protesters will need 65 smackers a day and liability insurance to wrest one of the new permits from the state, officials now say. We guess that's in the fine print somewhere.
Here is the statement that came with the new policy's announcement:
Criminal activity and deteriorating sanitary conditions over the past several days on Legislative Plaza have created an environment that is unsafe for the protesters, state employees and everyone who works, lives and enjoys downtown. As a result, the Department of General Services is adding to its policy for permitting and use of Legislative Plaza, the War Memorial Building and the Capitol grounds. Permits will be granted on a daily basis from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Here's the new state policy:
LEGISLATIVE PLAZA, WAR MEMORIAL COURTYARD AND CAPITOL GROUNDS USE POLICY
Department of General ServicesEffective immediately and until further notice, all assemblies and gatherings of persons on the State of Tennessee Legislative Plaza, War Memorial Courtyard and Capitol grounds areas in Nashville, Tennessee shall require a use permit from the Tennessee Department of General Services. Use of any portion of the Capitol grounds also requires the approval of the Tennessee Capitol Commission.
The Department of General Services may issue permits upon proper application and satisfaction of use fees, security and liability insurance requirements for use of the Legislative Plaza, War Memorial Courtyard and Capitol grounds between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Special use permits for the Legislative Plaza, War Memorial Courtyard and Capitol grounds during hours outside of the 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. period may be approved at the discretion of the Department on a case by case basis.
Notwithstanding the above, the Legislative Plaza, War Memorial Courtyard and Capitol grounds areas are closed to the public from 10:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m. daily and no person shall enter upon those premises during this curfew period without specific authorization by the State of Tennessee. In no event shall overnight occupancy of the Legislative Plaza, War Memorial Courtyard or Capitol grounds areas be permitted by any group or individual.
The foregoing policy is issued under the authority of T. C. A. § 4-8-101 and in the interest of protecting the health, safety and welfare of the public. Issued this 27th day of October, 2011 by the Tennessee Department of General Services.
Comments (29)
Showing 1-29 of 29
What a wussy way by the state to end a protest, especially with the media sure to be present. The situation calls for teargas and tasers, the use of which would provide entertainment as well. There could be a chorus on the side, "Taze away, taze away, taze away, Dixieland...."
like
dislike
How does this end the protest. They can simply go home at night, shower, sleep, have a good meal, then show up the next morning and collect their ACORN-remnant paychecks.
Unless of course the dirty secret is that most of these folks do not live in Tennessee and are were bused in just to represent the 99% of Tennesseans apparently unwilling to do it themselves. Having to have a hotel just drives up the cost for their benefactors.
Shouldn't be taking checks from anti-capitalists. This country must really be in the shitter with 99% of everyone living off of rubber checks. The Koch brothers use direct deposit and I appreciate that. Of course, direct deposit requires having a bank account and 99% of this country hates banks and refuses to participate in their world.
I know I really hate it when my $5,000+ Mac book gets stolen by homeless and I have to depend on Acorn-rubber to replace it. I am sure that girl has daddy to insulate her from the mean old world.
They are not "outside agitators". That would require them to agitate and eye witness reports indicate that they pretty much are just camping until a TV camera comes around.
they are more like "outside loafers" or "outside placeholders" or "outside percussionists" or "outside something-or-others". They sure do have some nice tents, particularity in this nice economy. Go to REI and you can see that many of them cost several hundred dollars.
Don't forget, according to the Governor's office, the state charges $65.00 DAILY for a permit.
What a crock of crap.
Free speech now requires a permit. Let that one sink in for a minute, Teatards.
Republicans: squash free speech, squash voting rights, squash women's control over their own bodies. I LOVE THIS SMALL GOVERNMENT!
/sarcasm
@Southern Beale: You're exercising free speech right now, you can vote for your candidate of choice, and get an abortion anytime you want. What part of that don't you understand?
Let me explain it to you Southern Beale. Tea Party People and the Christian Taliban only like free speech if they agree with what you're saying. I wonder how fast they would turn on the Second Amendment if the Occupiers were armed..
@ gast
You sir are obviously a "true patriot." By the way, the Occupier critically injured in Oakland a couple of days ago by the OPD's teargas was a Marine who served two tours in Iraq for this country:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/video/marine-iraq…
@jdilla 127: He was an ex-marine who morphed into a longhaired occupier.
And you're right about me being a patriot. I've served in the military and on the Fourth of July the flag on the garage waves over a Chevy.
Right to peacable assembly has always included the need for obeying laws and obtaining proper permits. This is nothing new. The $65 is also nothing new. I know several couples who have rented the Legislative Plaza to hold their wedding ceremony. They had to pay the $65 plus obtain liability insurance plus hire a State Trooper for security if they planned to serve alcohol on the Courtyard area.
@obey: Don't you think holding a private event on the Plaza is a bit different from staging open-ended civil protests? I understand that the admin. can ask that permits be acquired, but as always it is up to the protestors to decide whether it is in their best interests to comply or not. Civil disobedience is pretty much required to sustain a popular movement because the power of the law resides in the hands of those in power, of course. We're not trying to have a wedding, here.
Is the permit fee newly implemented just for the Occupy protests, or has there always been a permit with fee requirement? That doesn't seem very clear.
Does no one read American history? We've had a women's suffrage movement, a labor movement, a civil rights movement, and another women's movement in just the last century. Not one of them changed the status quo by being inoffensive and staying out of sight.
Looks like the job started in 1935 by the GOP and Wall Street has successed. The plot to destroy our constitution and turn our government into a Fascist Corporate State. It was called "Business Plot" and can be found on Google and Youtube.
What happened to the First Amendment? The right to congregate? How is that different than always hearing about the right to bear arms? It's our country. Our taxes pay for the damn parks. They are our parks for goodness sake. They want to maintain order? All the protests have been orderly except when the police get involved...
@Min: You named a lot of movements. In the future people will look back and see this one as the bowel movement.
These people aren't "congregating". They are pitching tents, peeing in the fountains and generally living on the plaza. If they had even a vaguely cogent complaint, maybe the government would cut them more slack. Regarding the second amendment, I don't see too many people discharging firearms on the plaza, despite our right to bear arms.
"If they had even a vaguely cogent complaint, maybe the government would cut them more slack."
If I could do that eyes-pop-out thing that characters used to do in Warner Bros. cartoons, I would be doing it now. Seriously, dude?
According to WKRN not only is a permit fee is required, security by the group and liability insurance. Typical Republican response "privatization" to tax payer funded municipalities.
For any of the pro-advocates of these actions; Tennessee doesn't have a sate income tax but revenue collect through sales tax so this issue can be challenged in court due to the way revenue is generated. Second, the issue is a new ordnance passed on specific group, shows bias or prejudice.
Occupy might contact the ACLU or Nashville Bar Association to file an injunction or some legal brief. GOOD LUCK!
I don't think trying to levitate corporate buildings, including the state capitol, as Occupy Atlanta tried to do, is going to accomplish anything unless they do it while the lawmakers are in session and leave them high enough in the air they can't jump out.
http://blogs.ajc.com/political-insider-jim…
Shawnathan:
ACLU has pledged their support to Occupy Nashville. No further luck required.
Glad to see the great liberal thinkers defending these stooges sleeping
on the concrete slabs with free food, drink and entertainment! Possible
training course for being homeless in the future if they prefer this over
getting a job or studying for the next test! This mixture of socialist,
communist, loafers, and vacationers nationwide has been very enlightening!
@davidlongfellow
My post was intended to mock the hypocrisy of people that think the constitution should only apply to them, and not anyone who disagrees with their views. I don't know how you got that I was suggesting that "discharging" firearms was commonplace in Legislative Plaza, but whatever. Have fun building your straw man.
