UPDATE: The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed suit against the Tennessee governor and other state officials– including 100 state troopers– for violating Occupy Nashville protesters’ first amendment freedom by citing protesters for breaking curfew laws– the same tactic that the City of Tucson is using. From News Channel 5…

The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee has filed a lawsuit in federal court asking the state to stop enforcing the curfew that led to the arrest of Occupy Nashville protesters.

The ACLU is seeking a temporary restraining order against the new policies enacted last week by the state of Tennessee, claiming they violate the protesters’ First Amendment rights of free speech.[For the rest of the story, click here.]

UPDATE 2: A federal judge has sided with the Tennessee ACLU and the Occupy Nashville protesters and granted their request for a restraining order against the state– thus halting curfew citations. [For the rese of the story, click here.]

In dealing with the Occupation of downtown Tucson, our local government has taken passive aggressive route– hundreds of citations, demands for costly permits and insurance, threats of late-night sprinklers, and bureaucratic maneuvering.

Homeless in the shadows of corporate America (Image credit: Pamela Powers)

The city’s latest legal tactic– zoning restrictions– popped up during the court hearings last week. When someone receives a citation at a certain location and the court allows the city to place a zoning restriction on that person, they cannot go back to that location for fear of further legal action. (This tactic is often used to keep prostitutes and drug dealers from locations where they practice their trade.) In last week’s Occupy Tucson court hearings, City Attorney Mike Rankin, City Manager Richard Miranda (former Tucson police chief), and others asked the court to place a zoning restriction on the cited protesters. The judge said “no” to this idea last week, but as the protesters cycle through the court system they will appear before different judges. One of them could agree to place the zoning restriction on cited protesters.

That would change the whole ball game, according to former City Councilman Steve Leal, a vocal supporter of Occupy Tucson on his talk radio show on KJLL The Jolt. If people are systematically barred from Armory Park, the protest could dwindle as more and more protesters are cited. As fewer and fewer tents are seen, the public perception would be that Occupy Tucson is loosing steam and that protesters are giving up their fight against corporate greed. Unless new people step up and camp at Armory Park or the Occupation moves to a park without a curfew, Occupy Tucson will die a slow death in the court system as the activists are prosecuted.

Passive aggressive tactics are easier– physically– on the protesters than night sticks and pepper spray and, in terms of public relations, may be easier on local officials, but that doesn’t mean that Tucson has completely avoided bad press in their dealings with Occupy Tucson.

Two weeks ago, I posted this storywith a video of Occupy Tucson’s Craig Barber discussing the Tucson Occupation with Keith Olbermann on national television.

In recent days, Tucson’s 350+ $1000 fines levied on Occupiers made the national news– in the left wing media, at least– Democracy Now, The Nation, and In these Times.

From The Nation…

Occupy Tucson Needs Our Help

As my friend and colleague Greg Mitchell noted today in his invaluable live-blogging of the Occupy movement, “Perhaps the biggest little-told OWS local story is the massive number of arrests for OccupyTucson. Another 20 yesterday boosts overall total to an astounding (for the size) 351.”

And, unlike in Oakland, local authorities aren’t even trying to convince the rest of us that the Tucson police reacted defensively and appropriately in trying to ward off anarchist attacks. According to what Tucson Sergeant Maria Hawk told the weekly New Times, “most of the arrests were for remaining in a city park after hours.”

Hawk also estimated that on any given weekday in Tucson, there are about 100 “occupiers” demonstrating in city parks and on Tuesdays—when City Council meetings are held—and on weekends, that number increases to as many as 1,000 demonstrators. These are impressive numbers for a state without the liberal infrastructure of organized labor and nonprofit anti-poverty groups that has been supporting protesters in New York City, Boston and Washington, DC.

According to local activists, the Tucson Police Department is utilizing a strategy of financial and legal attrition to kill the movement by issuing criminal citations to occupiers who remain in any city park past 10:30 pm. This citation carries a $1000 fine, a potential prison sentence of six months in jail and up to three years probation. The rather sophisticated idea is to bleed the movement financially instead of using pepper spray and batons, which will only engender outrage and foster larger demonstrations. [For the rest of the story, click here.

Dinner time at Occupy Tucson, October 2011 (Image credit: Pamela Powers)

From In These Times…

Police Disguise Protest Sabotage As Public Safety

The Occupy movements, in addition to being some of the most important activist movements to come along in the United States in several decades, have helped underscore several societal crises. For example, the failure of the establishment media and the rise of the beltway pundit class, the disappearance of public space, and also vanishing civil liberties, to name only a few.

Occupy has also served as a reminder of the ever-present police state, which rather than acting to “serve and protect,” oftentimes crushes and suppresses freedom of expression. We’ve witnessed this in obvious, overt, batshit crazy behavior like police using horses to stampede into a Times Square crowd, and when Oakland police turned their city into a war zone. But there are subtler, far sneakier [guess who they are referring to here] ways so-called public servants such as firefighters and the police, and by extension city officials, use the law as a weapon, or a convenient scapegoat, to control a rebellious faction of the population…

Then there’s the outrageous example of Occupy Tucson, one of the comparatively smaller Occupy movements that has suffered a disproportionately large percentage of arrests. On any given weekday, there are about 100 occupiers demonstrating in city parks, according to Tucson Sergeant Maria Hawk. That’s not exactly a wild surge in the population, or anything that should overwhelm the city. Yet, an astonishing 351 protesters have been arrested since the genesis of the movement. Hawk admits “most of the arrests were for remaining in a city park after hours.” This was also one of the excuses given in Oakland, along with the usual, “your fuel tanks are going to raze the entire city to the ground” speech.

The citation carries a $1000 fine, a potential prison sentence of six months in jail, and up to three years probation. Tucson activists rightly view this as an effort by police to bleed the movement financially instead of using bad PR-generating pepper spray and batons. While Occupy Wall Street got its moments to publicly “battle” the police and display how a force gone wild stifles dissent, Tucson is being quietly suffocated in the dead of night, and most of the public will be none the wiser.

What’s so deeply nefarious about this kind of civil rights assassination is that curfew and fire safety laws were created with genuine good intentions. It makes sense to not want individuals walking around in secluded, dark spaces at night, or not allow people to create bonfires in the middle of grounds covered in dry grass. But these well-meaning laws are now being used to crush the First Amendment…

The NYPD, OPD [Oakland], and Tucson police don’t want a bloody, drawn out war on their hands. It’ll look terrible in the media, and public sentiment is already on the side of the protesters.

What police and city officials prefer is a death by a thousand subtle little cuts. Take the generators, issue tickets, pull down the tents, and make life unbearable for the protesters. Hope they give up and go home when it snows, and if that doesn’t work, try to freeze the bastards out. [Emphasis added.]

This is the fourth in a series of personal accounts from the Occupation of Tucson. In this letter, Green Party Mayoral Candidate Mary DeCamp addresses accusations made by Tucson right-wing shock jock Jon Justice and Andrew Lee, another radio personality. Justice’s 104.1 website includes the headline: “Occupy Movement Planning Violence?” But, of course, since there hasn’t been any violence locally, there is no local content under that purposefully misleading headline. [Emphasis added below.]

October 30: Notes from the Occupation
by Mary DeCamp

Green Party Mayoral Candidate Mary DeCamp

I didn’t get the chance to tell you both [Jon Justice and Andrew Lee] about Occupy Tucson’s experience with threats against police when you shared the info on Occupy Phoenix on your radio program last Friday.

Early on, the same sort of violent propaganda popped up in our Tucson encampment. There was a poster/sign advocating violence against the police. Immediately when it was discovered, the Tucson Police Dept. was notified. One of our tech-savvy people traced the origin of the artwork to a facebook page and turned that information over to the officials for their intervention and action. The perpetrator was NOT one of the Occupiers, but a nighttime visitor, operating under the cloak of darkness, trying to incite unrest. We immediately nipped the problem in the bud.

We have been very cooperative and accommodating with the officials. We are working with the Little Angels on organizing support & volunteers for their upcoming event in Armory Park. Tonight we are meeting with El Tour de Tucson folks to work out whatever accommodations they will need to use the park. We are peaceable people, following the example of our Boston Tea Party forefathers in resisting the oppressive overreach of authority, fraud, and abuse in our day-to-day lives.

People complain that the grass in the park is not getting watered. It is the dormant season and watering is not crucial. Besides, we live in a dessert and we need to STOP WATERING landscaping. Our quantity and our quality of water has dropped precipitously in the past decades and we must take action to preserve our most precious natural resources.

People complain about the cost associated with the Occupation. The taxpayer money spent on policing is being wasted and people should be up in arms about it. It is ridiculous to dispatch fleets of 9 to 24 uniformed officers to ticket us each night. Three would be ample. We all line up to receive our citations, and there have been NO incidents of resistance or violence. We self-police. We actually SAVE the City money by providing much needed social services to the most compromised residents. Occupying these past 2 weeks has really opened my eyes to the numbers of severely mentally ill and homeless people shambling around our streets. Our presence in the park protects them from the ravages of “bum fights”, prostitution, and other indignities they suffer just to scrap together the money they need to survive. We feed and shelter them, just like Jesus would have done. Think of how much money is spent on arresting, prosecuting, defending, incarcerating, and probating Tucson’s most at-risk population. Or the costs of emergency room services that the City has to pick up. We provide preventative measures that SPARE THOSE COSTS. We, the people, are providing services that Big Government and Big Business can’t seem to deliver effectively.

People complain that we are a bunch of lazy hippie kids who don’t want to work. That is not true, either. Our demographics cover a very wide range – we have young, old, illiterate, professionals, black, white, Hispanic, religious, agnostic, gorgeous and ugly – just like any other gathering of human beings. The people in the park want to be engaged meaningfully in Tucson’s social structure. They want to work, but there isn’t work to be had. If you’ve been unemployed for any length of time, you carry a taint that makes employers suspicious and unwilling to hire you. Our society has made poverty a punishable crime.

People complain we don’t have a park permit. Well, right across the street is the Tucson Children’s Museum. Mrs. Walkup sits on their board. They pay $1 a year for their rent. We’re happy to double that and pay $2 a year. Fair enough? [Sounds fair to me.] The permits that are doled out specify a beginning time and an end time for the use of the public facilities. The Occupation does not have a specific end time. We are here for the long haul. It ain’t easy, but I feel it is my patriotic duty to stand for a higher purpose. And the others who are there, willing to assume the risks and burdens of camping out in a public park, share my sentiments.

And if we’re all bent out of shape about people sleeping in the wrong spot, let’s issue a citation to Police Chief Villasenor who is supposed to be living and sleeping within city limits. His house in Pima County is underwater, like many of us, and he cannot afford to relocate. So we wink and nod and say “that’s okay” while we want to crack down on the Tucson Occupiers? It doesn’t seem fair to me. The police have been great – we really appreciate their protection and civility – but 60% of our police force also live outside the City and I know that some of them feel that coming into Tucson to do their jobs is kind of like visiting the zoo to see what exotic animals live there. Neighbor-to-neighbor policing allows a more humane perspective to color these interactions, I believe.

Look at what Tucson Occupiers are accomplishing. Direct democracy. We have 2 General Assemblies each day where everyone’s voice is heard. Everyone gets to register their thoughts and concerns. We work cooperatively to address the needs and interests of our community. We’ve organized different teams to deal with all facets of the Occupation – Peacekeepers, Food Crew, Medics, Education & Outreach, Media & PR, Sanitation & Facility Maintenance, even Meditation. We’ve had no problems that we haven’t been able to address and solve internally. Really, do we deserve your wrath and ire? What are you afraid of?

Rather than hatin’ on us, you should be applauding our sense of civic responsibility and doing all you can to SUPPORT our efforts.

Thanks, fellows,
Mary DeCamp
www.DeCampForMayor.org

Previous articles in this series:
Oct. 23: Green Tea
Oct. 25: Of Permits and Police
Oct. 26: Tucson Mayor and Council Meeting

TPD has been ticketing Occupy Tucson protesters every night for 2 weeks. (Image credit: Pamela Powers)

Friday night was Friends and Family Campout night at Occupy Tucson. Since I had not seen any video of the non-infamous ticketing process, I decided to camp out.

After dinner at the camp and a late night stop at Hotel Congress with a friend, I snuggled into my sleeping bag about 10 p.m.

About 45 minutes later, I was awakened by Tucson Police officers rousting campers out of their tents and issuing citations for breaking Armory Park’s 10:30 p.m. I got out of my tent to video the process and got a ticket.

Tucson’s somewhat passive aggressive approach to dealing with the Occupation is making national headlines, as more than 350 citations– which carry a maximum fine of $1000 and 6 months in jail– have been issued. In the first 2 weeks of the Tucson Occupation, the city has spent more than $37,000 ticketing Occupiers who are exercising their freedom of speech and protesting the corporate takeover of our country.

Occupy Tucson (Image Credit: Pamela Powers)

The Occupy Tucson organizers are holding a Family and Friends campout tonight, October 28 at Armory Park. The event begins at 5 p.m. and lasts through the pancake breakfast on Saturday morning.

Of course, if you want to stay longer, you can. Saturday, October 30 marks Occupy Tucson’s 2 week anniversary at Armory Park.

Here are the details from their facebook page.

Friends & Supporters! Tomorrow [actually today] is the Occupy Tucson Friends & Family Campout! We’ll have fun activities for the kids, pizza & salad for dinner and a pancake breakfast. Bring your tent & sleeping bags! Peaceful & gentle strategies to avoid police citation are available to everyone.

More info:

Healthy child-friendly dinner, sign making tent, fun democracy teach-in, movie & popcorn, family singalong, interfaith goodnight gathering, awake-past-bedtime pajama protest, pancake breakfast.

Bring your tent and sleeping bags.

Stay for dinner, stay overnight, or drop in for breakfast.

*peaceful strategies to avoid police citation are available to everyone.

WHY CAMP OUT?

To show your kids what democracy looks like.
To show the world what Tucson looks like.
To participate.
To great a break from making dinner.
To take pictures of your kids dancing on the sidewalk in their jammies at 11pm!
To expand your hearts.
To change the world.

…and to eat pancakes.

Mitt Romney has had such a lackluster showing on the national stage that I am amazed he is still running for president.

But he has enough money behind him to overcome the fact that he’s a milk-toast rich boy. The oligarchs would rather have a malleable milk-toast than a loose cannon (ie, Sarah Palen, Michelle Bachmann, Rick Perry) in the White House.

Watching Romney defend corporate personhood (top video) and promote bowing to market forces and allowing continued home foreclosures (bottom video), it’s obvious to see who his masters are, and it’s not the 99%. At the end of his clip about letting foreclosures happen, I’m surprised he didn’t say, “Aw… let them eat cake.”

Republican Mayoral Candidate Rick Grinnell (Image credit: Grinnell facebook page)

For a city with the highest rate of poverty in the Sunbelt, you’d think there would be a few candidates talking about poverty, homelessness, unemployment/underemployment, and related issues in their campaigns.

As I listened to the KXCI rebroadcast of the recent candidate forum, I was stunned by the issues that occupied most of the candidates– particularly the Republican candidates (Mayoral Candidate Rick Grinnell and City Council Candidates Jennifer Rawson and Tyler Vogt).

Apparently, the biggest issues facing our city are not poverty, home foreclosures or unemployment; they’re burdensome development fees, over-regulation of businesses (particularly developers), and an oppressive anti-business city government.

I guess it is understandable that the Republicans would be running pro-business camgaigns, but Grinnell goes beyond business-friendly. Grinnell is the mayoral candidate for the 1% class. Here are some facts to back up this statement.

• Grinnell is a lobbyist, and the largest client for Grinnell’s lobbying firm is Rosemont Copper– two facts that are not mentioned on his campaign website. The online description of Grinnell’s SUBS (Smart United Business Strategies) doesn’t even mention that it is a lobbying firm. SUBS is described as: “a for-profit venture that fosters political interaction between State and Local government and the entrepreneurial community.”
• Grinnell’s campaign manager is big-time developer John Wesley Miller. (No wonder Grinnell is lobbying…er… campaigning so hard against development fees and for streamlining development processes.)
• In a recent Arizona Daily Star article entitled Mayoral Candidates: Jobs are No. 1 but… , Reporter Rhonda Botfield writes, “Grinnell, a consultant for Rosemont Mine and for restaurant owner Bob McMahon, said his longtime work on business issues will give him an edge in helping support economic development by eliminating barriers to growth and providing the necessary infrastructure. ‘If we don’t get some wealth-generating opportunities, we will collapse,’ he said. He said not only does the city need an attitude adjustment – such as strengthening its customer service approach – but also needs a more coordinated effort in recruiting new businesses.” Again, business, business, business. [Emphasis added.]
• Grinnell’s campaign ads– along with those of  Rawson and Vogt– have been produced by the same agency that produced the now infamous Swift Boat ads against John Kerry.
• Grinnell is on the current Rio Nuevo Multipurpose Facilities District Board. (You know– the board that is suing the City of Tucson for $47 million.) He was appointed to the Rio Nuevo Board by Arizona Senate President Russell Pearce.
• Grinnell also served on the old Rio Nuevo Citizens’ Advisory Committee, beginning in 2007; he was appointed by then Councilman Rodney Glassman. (You’ll remember that those folks helped the City Council bungle taxpayer monies in failed land deals and plans that never were implemented.) His service on the first RN board has been conveniently omitted from his bio on his campaign website.
• In addition to Grinnell’s position on the Rio Nuevo Board, he has been a member of the Pima County Sports and Tourism Authority since 2008. This is another one of those local boondoggle boards that chases fickle national sports teams and spring training contracts. Check out this report from the Brookings Institute and the Brookings’ book Sports, Jobs, and Taxes, if you don’t believe me. National sports teams pit cities against each other by encouraging hapless local politicians to waste taxpayer money on stadiums. (Remember Tucson Electric Park?) In the candidate forum, Grinnell even had a frustrated outburst when he said, Rio Nuevo was supposed to be an arena district! (Personally, I’m glad that arena football idea died.) Building stadiums makes money for developers and sports teams but not necessarily for cities.
• There are alleged improprieties in Grinnell’s campaign finance reports. Looking at his reports dated Oct. 25 online, the largest donations are from business owners, particularly construction companies, developers, and donors with ties to Jim Click. (Checking past campaign finance reports on the Arizona Secretary of State reveals that Jim Click has been a long-term donor to various Grinnell campaigns. He has run for several offices– also not on his resume.)

Seriously, how can you trust someone who has left major facts off of his resume?

On Grinnell’s website, he does list creating jobs and careers as a priority, but his 100 day plan is all about business.

I will host an economic strategy session with the business and social communities in order to identify who’s doing what, strengths and resources, and share a unified approach to regional economic stability.

Identify 100 local employers that want to expand and help them accomplish this. Identify and recruit another 100 new employers that are compatible and will complement existing local businesses. And we can do this keeping in mind the integrity of our neighborhoods and appreciation of our environment.

Help struggling businesses retain their employees, stay in business, with initiatives beginning with reducing utility tax to the pre-2010 budget.

Identify, reduce or remove the overburdening regulations that impede the process of expanding or starting new businesses. Remove duplication of services and shorten timeline involved in launching new enterprises.

Work with Rio Nuevo to restore the TCC to a first class Convention Center that will attract other large-scale events like the Gem Show. [NOTE: Grinnell is on the Rio Nuevo Board which is suing the city $47 million.]

Work with the tourism industry to expand our efforts in securing more group and personal tourism to our region. This could include the Southern Arizona Golf Trail.

Develop further communications with the State Legislature in Phoenix to strengthen positive relationship with our city. [Let's make nice with Republicans to the north.]

Identify local businesses that can utilize resources available to us through the Arizona Commerce Department’s that can help us provide additional support for employer and business expansions.

Strengthen relationships with our neighbors in Sonora, Mexico who bring in $1.3 Billion a year in revenue to Southern Arizona.

Maximize and leverage long-term resources in the region through annexation by first making the City of Tucson a successful and attractive model for neighboring communities. [Emphasis added.]

One last question for Grinnell: If you want to reduce or eliminate fees for developers and other businesses, how would you pay for that? Since the city is strapped for cash and since Republicans like to have “revenue neutral” policies, f you want to cut that revenue stream, you need to tell us how you would make up your proposed tax cut for the rich. Here’s a hint: If your answer is “raise bus fares”, you are truly the candidate for the 1%.

So, if you are lucky enough to be among America’s richest 1%, Grinnell’s your candidate for Tucson Mayor. If you’re among the 99%, I suggest you check out the websites of the other two candidates Democrat Jonathan Rothschild and Green Mary DeCamp. (Stay tuned for more on them.)

Occupy Tucson banner (Image credit: Pamela Powers)

Both MoveOn.org and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have created online petitions in support of Occupy Tucson in their struggle with the Mayor and Council, the Tucson Police Department, and the Parks and Rec Department.

From MoveOn…

The members of Occupy Tucson are requesting our help.

The Tucson Police Department is issuing criminal citations to Occupy Tucson protestors who stay in Armory Park past 10:30 p.m. This citation carries a potential sentence of up to a $1,000 fine, up to six months in jail, and up to three years probation.

Mayor Bob Walkup, the Tucson City Council, and City Manager Richard Miranda should support freedom of speech by dismissing all charges against the occupiers and allowing them stay in Armory Park. That’s why I created a petition on SignOn.org, which says:

Dear Tucson City Leadership,

You have it in your power to dismiss all charges against the peaceful demonstrators of Occupy Tucson. We the people of Tucson and southern Arizona call upon you to stand up for our constitutional rights to freedom of speech and peaceable assembly by dismissing these charges and allowing the demonstrators to remain in Armory Park.

Will you sign the petition? Click here to add your name, and then pass it along to your friends:

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=266019&id=32331-10190030-CCS6jax&t=2

And from the ACLU…

Free Speech Trampled in Tucson

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the passage of the Patriot Act. The misguided law, which dramatically expands the government’s authority to spy on its own citizens, has been used to shut down debate across the country. And many post 9-11 government tactics—from censorship and surveillance to detention, denial of due process and excessive force—are still being used by government officials to squelch dissent in Arizona and nationwide. Look outside your own window and you might just see your fellow Arizonans paying the price for exercising their constitutional right to dissent.

Arizonans’ urge to express their First Amendment right to free speech is stronger than ever. The Occupy Phoenix and Occupy Tucson movements have seen hundreds of Arizonans take to the streets to flex their First Amendment muscle and tell their own “We The People” story. These Arizonans know that one of the best ways to honor our Constitution is to exercise the precious rights it guarantees us.

Despite this guarantee, many of these earnest and peaceful protesters have been arrested, harassed, and intimidated during the protests. More than 100 Tucson protesters were charged with various criminal citations as they exercised their right to free speech. Countless Phoenix residents were also charged with violating camping and trespass ordinances as they exercised their right to free speech. Phoenix police initially prevented protesters from camping after hours, but are now letting people stay at Cesar Chavez plaza around the clock. Phoenix protesters can sleep at times, but can’t have any tents or camping gear. But the situation in Tucson is still unresolved.

The ACLU of Arizona remains intently committed to protecting the free speech rights of all Arizonans.
Take action to respect the First Amendment rights of the Occupy Tucson protesters.

Whether you agree with the Occupy movement or not, we can all agree that government can’t stifle peaceful protest and harass people for exercising their constitutional rights. That’s why we’ve provided ACLU resources in Phoenix to ensure that protesters know about their rights when protesting, camping, and photographing police. That’s why we’re coordinating legal representation to make sure that people who were arrested get their full measure of due process in court. That’s why we’re strategizing to convince Tucson city officials to drop charges against the 100-plus people arrested during Occupy Tucson.

Add your voice to the chorus and tell Tucson Council Members to urge City Attorney Michael Rankin to protect and support peaceful political expression.

This is the third in a series of personal accounts from the Occupation of Tucson. On October 25, the Tucson’s Mayor and Council held a closed door session to discuss Occupy Tucson. Here is a recap of the post-executive session discussion.

Oct 26: Notes from the Occupation

By Mary DeCamp

Green Party Mayoral Candidate Mary DeCamp

Life in a tent in the heart of Tucsonis a fantastic experience.  Even for a 54-year-old female mayoral candidate.  At least for THIS Green Party candidate who is participating in Occupy Tucson as part of the 99% fed up with the status quo and pushing for change.

Yesterday was the Mayor & City Council Study Session meeting to discuss the Occupation and our law-breaking/free speech actions.  The item didn’t make it onto the agenda for the regular MCC evening meeting, but it came up during the afternoon “where the sausage is made” meeting.

Councilwoman Karin Uhlich, our champion who released a press statement in favor of Occupy Tucson last week, was unable to attend the meeting, and many of the usual staff members who accompany the other 5 elected Council members were absent as well.  The ones who were there went into executive session behind closed doors to discuss the situation but emerged later and held about 20 minutes of public discussion.

The first Councilwoman waffled a bit, honoring the efforts made by Tucson Police Department, Parks & Rec employees, and the City Attorney but acknowledging the importance of supporting freedom of speech efforts.  She wondered if the City ordinance regarding park use could be re-written to reflect the intent of the group using the space to skirt the problems.  The City Attorney said only behaviors could be legislated, not intent, and that was not a solution.  The Councilwoman wondered about having all the Occupiers sign a waiver that would free the City from health and safety liability issues, but again she was told that would not solve the problem because there was no way to cover all contingencies.  She basically said, “well, carry on, then, and keep us posted.”  Daily meetings continue between City officials;  the relationship between key players on both sides are respectful, courteous, and ongoing.

The second Councilman skipped weighing in on the issue.  He is locked in a re-election race against a strong opponent who is heavily funded and endorsed by the Tea Party loyalists who want self-reliance to triumph and scofflaws to be punished.  My feeling is the current Tea Party followers have lost sight of their founding principles – if these same folks were living in Boston at the time tea was dumped in the harbor to protest legislation without representation they would have called for capital punishment for those ne’er-do-wells who damaged capitalists’ property on behalf of the downtrodden.  Nonetheless, this Councilman’s voice has been quieted by pragmatic political concerns.

The third Councilwoman was our missing Shero.  No idea why she was not present, but she’s been a champion and has bravely taken a supportive stand.  Kudos and thanks go to her.

The forth Councilwoman is also in a re-election race.  Her opponent is also endorsed by the Tea Party and he works as a systems analyst for Raytheon, one of the hearts of the military-industrial-complex beast we are fighting.  This Councilwoman wanted to know about complaints from businesses in the neighborhood, how much paid overtime and scheduling inconvenience this caused the Tucson Police, how the landscaping and watering schedule was affected, and whether the Occupiers were discriminatory in asking people to leave the camp.

The fifth Councilman asked about what was happening in other cities.  Both the Police Chief and the City Attorney assured him they had been in contact with peers in other places and that there was very wide variation in the reactions to Occupation.  The Councilman asked about fines and jail time for those arrested.  He was told that a maximum was in place ($1,000 + 6 mos in jail per citation), but that no MINIMUM was set; that would be at the discretion of the prosecutor and the judge.

The sixth Councilman reported he’d heard concerns from the neighbors (and I know that he’s also heard SUPPORT from others, but he failed to mention that side of the equation).  He said that the City Council adopts ordinances, the Police enforce them, and the judicial branch sorts out any conflicts.  He effectively washed his hands of the matter, turning it over to another governmental branch, as is quite appropriate and convenient.

The Mayor, who is known as “Smiling Bob” and will be retiring in a matter of months, didn’t have anything substantive to contribute.

This morning is our first court date for arraignment.  More updates will be forthcoming as information emerges.

Thanks for your continuing support and interest.  We are making history and it is an honor to be your scribe as the tale unfolds.

Embrace affection – it costs the same as hate and feels a lot better for all involved.

Mary DeCamp
www.DeCampForMayor.org

Previous articles in this series:
Oct. 23: Green Tea
Oct. 25: Of Permits and Police

This is the second post in a series of personal accounts from the Occupation of Tucson. [Emphasis added.]

Oct. 25: Notes from the Occupation

By Mary DeCamp

Green Party Mayoral Candidate Mary DeCamp

Tea Party events that use city property have a beginning time and an end time – the Occupy Movement does not.  We are exercising our first amendment rights to peaceably assemble, to petition our government, and to challenge the fascism that has crept in and taken over.  If we followed the rules, we would not be news and the media would ignore our concerns.  Permission from corrupt officials was not a concern for the original Tea Partiers in BostonHarbor, was it?  Action was taken after the normal courses of appeal failed.  That’s what we are doing today.

Should anyone be hurt, I imagine the same policies that covered the kid who was struck by lightning in a Tucson park last year would apply.  The Occupy Tucson movement has a medical team on site, a security team, peace-keepers, food handlers who follow sanitary and safety guidelines, etc.  We are much safer, better organized, and less of a risk to the city than a bunch of unorganized homeless.  The park is cleaner, safer, and more attractive now than it was before we occupied.  We come together as a community to mutually support and police each other.  The homeless fringe are in less danger with us there than they are on their own in this cold, cruel, self-interested world.  It is a win-win-win.

The City of Tucson is spending an inordinate amount on security and a SWAT presence.  I heard someone state it was $35,000 a week.  This is bogus and unnecessary.  The TPD come and sweep the park, in numbers that began at around 2 dozen officers and now are no less than 9 uniformed cops, equipped with state-of-the-art technological toys.  It is a huge waste of taxpayers’ money.  We are not vagrants, we are not a danger.

And the laws are unequally applied.  Someone circulates through the tents, announcing it is “ticket o’clock” and those who cannot bear the expense of the heavy-handed civil system.  Those unwilling to assume the cost (financial, reputation, court time, etc.), simply cross the street and form a prayer circle or wander about until the police leave and then they return to sleep for the night.  What other parks are subject to this style of enforcement?  Why pick and choose where and when to enforce the law?  It seems a hugely unnecessary expense.

Remember, too, that though the State passed the medical marijuana law we still don’t have medical marijuana dispensaries because that violates federal law.  Here we are standing for federal law, but we are persecuted for violating a city ordinance.  It doesn’t compute.

The most poignant experience I have had during the Occupy Movement is at “ticket o’clock”.  Patriots emerge from their slumber, stand sleepily in line to peacefully accept their tickets, and a lone violin player comes to serenade us.  The juxtaposition of some slovenly and sleepy citizens, fully uniformed and weaponized policemen (not many women at all), and the lone musician have etched this experience in my brain.

The range of people is amazing.  The courage is astounding.  The need is great.  We are being true to the foundations the Tea Party Movement based itself on, yet we are dismissed as “Flea baggers.”  Did you see the picture circulating of our elected US representatives playing computer, anyone? solitaire, checking the sports scores, or using the internet to chat while the budget bill was discussed?  It is shocking, and I am proud to be on the other side of the 1% / 99% divide.

Jesus preached compassion and social responsibility.  Gandhi said one of the 7 cardinal sins was Wealth Without Work.  All religious leaders say that self-interest is insufficient, there must be social responsibility to care for the less fortunate and those who lose out in the competitive culture of a dominant hierarchy.  That is all we are doing ~ just following the example of those who have been on the right side of history in the past.

Mary DeCamp
www.DeCampForMayor.org

Previous articles in this series:
Oct. 23: Green Tea

I am beginning a series of first-hand accounts from the Occupation of Tucson. These very personal and highly descriptive accounts are written by Green Party Mayoral Candate Mary DeCamp who has been camping out at Armory Park since Day 1 of the Occupation. [Emphasis added.]

Oct 23: Notes from the Occupation

By Mary DeCamp

Green Party Mayoral Candidate Mary DeCamp

Yesterday [Saturday, Oct. 22] I was invited to a local Tea Party candidate forum in Presidio Park, just outside the Tucson City Council building.  I eagerly accepted the invitation to present my mayoral platform to this group who typically do not embrace any candidate who suggests widening the dialog beyond the supremecy of Individual Rights.  Since I am part of Occupy Tucson, a group the Tea Party derisively refers to as “Flea Baggers” to balance out their tag as “Tea Baggers”, I figured I’d encounter a hostile crowd.  I was correct.

About 100 folks, mostly gray-haired, white, and clad in red shirts, gathered to hear from local notaries like the new right-wing talk radio host JT Harris, a failed Republican mayoral candidate (too few nominating signatures on his filing petition) Shaun McCluskey,  a token female Tea Party official (Jennifer, but didn’t catch last name), and a trio of Republican candidates.  I strode in with Dave Croteau, my past primary opponent cum current campaign manager, and took my place in the crowd.  Dave set out my quarter page fliers on the literature table.  We stood and listened.

Talk show host Mr. Harris stressed the need to keep love in one’s heart and a smile on one’s face when met with jeers from the uninformed left wing spokespeople who would attack them.  Mr. McCluskey condemned the Occupy Tucson movement as dirty law-breaking hippies who were just out for a fun time and who should be arrested for breaking the law by not acquiring a park permit to occupy the space.  Ms. Jennifer recounted the difficulties she had in getting her business established in the face of bureaucratic obstacles.  Mr. Studwell decried the run-up in city staff numbers and salaries.  And the Republican mayoral candidate, Rick Grinnell, recounted his experience with a local steak house (promotional agent) and the need for service-oriented city officials.

The microphone and public address system went down during the speeches.  They were at a loss.  Ms. Jennifer complained that they’d paid their permit fee to access the electrical outlet and now it wasn’t working.  Luckily there was a strapping young fellow in the crowd wearing an “Occupy Tucson” t-shirt who could step forward, fix their electrical problems, and restore the functioning capacity of the system.

Then it was my turn to speak.  I took the now working microphone, complimented Phil for his technical expertise and willingness to help fix the problem and commended him for his service to the 99% occupying Armory Park.  I was meet with jeers and heckling.  I smiled, as the raido host had earlier instructed me to do, kept love in my heart, and pointed out to the assembled crowd how grateful I was for the earlier instruction.  I pointed out that Mr. McCluskey was picking and choosing which laws to follow, since the Occupiers were following constitutional rights to free assembly, to petition our government, and to free speech.  I asked why Arizona was willing to comply with federal laws against marijuana when our state voters supported medical marijuana dispensary clinics but they favored a city ordinance prohibitting peaceable assembly.  I also invited anyone who wanted more information on my campaign to ask Dave Croteau for it, since the fliers I set out on the table had been taken by someone in the crowd.  I pointed out that Dave had been at their very first Tea Party formation rally at that very same park a couple of years ago.

I went on to outline my platform about setting up Community Conservation Centers in each of our 131 registered neighborhood associations that would take advantage of existing dormant resources to lead the nation in microbusiness development at no cost to big government or to big business.  I introduced the idea of Solari Circles to fund the start-up businesses – affinity groups of 6, 8, 10 friends with investment funds to commit who were scared off by the volatility of the stock market.

They listened.  They were more respectful.  Unconvinced, probably, but nonetheless attentive.

I applauded a new start-up newspaper that had been introduced that day, especially since the current mainstream media were so intent on ignoring my candidacy and my common sense platform.

The organizers said that was enough, and thanked me for coming, and moved on to the other Republican candidates running for City Council and the lone Democratic candidate, Paul Cunninghmam, who was brave enough to show up in his own red shirt.

Thanks everyone, for your interest in the M4M campaign.  Please vote and encourage your friends to vote.

Love,
Mary
www.DeCampForMayor.org