Tonight, City Council will decide whether or not a curfew in Lee Park is necessary, and hear a petition from Occupiers for a permanent extension of their camping permit. The fate of Occupy Charlottesville, at least as a physical manifestation, may hang in the balance, even as Occupy movements around the country are coping with the break-up of their permanent camps.
The curfew was imposed by Council in 2007 as a response to residents’ concerns about what goes on in Lee Park at night. Last Wednesday, Mayor Dave Norris told C-VILLE that the bigger question regarding the future of the local Occupy movement is about land use.
“What is the nature of Lee Park? Is it a neighborhood park or is it a 24/7 free speech zone?” asked Norris. “Since that is more of a policy question as opposed to a procedural question, than that’s where City Council needs to weigh in.” He added that City Council has no role in the decision regarding the park’s permit.
With a potential expiration date for the group’s camping permit looming (November 26), Occupiers have decided to rally and attend the City Council meeting tonight. According to their website, Occupy Charlottesville has also started an online petition asking Council to extend their permit indefinitely and ask residents to show support.
“Please support Occupy Charlottesville’s right to stay in Lee Park indefinitely, as they are exercising our constitutional rights of assembly and free speech,” reads the petition letter, that hints at police actions in Davis, CA where protesters were pepper sprayed while sitting on the ground.
“I do not want a park that may as well be in Singapore, for its cleanliness, quiet, and order. I want a thriving democracy that welcomes participation, including that of the disenfranchised. I want to see citizens standing up and shouting when something is wrong; and we all know that a lot is wrong. Charlottesville has a free speech wall; let;s have a free speech park.”
Currently, the petition has 106 signatures.
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