The ACLU of Virginia has asked Mayor Dwight Jones of Richmond to reconsider his decision to toss Occupy Richmond campers from a Downtown Richmond public park.
In a letter faxed earlier today, ACLU of Virginia Executive Director Kent Willis notes that the Richmond police had originally told demonstrators they would be allowed to remain overnight. This is in keeping with many other cities, including Washington, D.C. and Cleveland, where campers have been allowed to camp overnight in public parks.
In D.C., campers in Freedom Plaza were told they may remain as long as four months. In Cleveland, protestors are not only camping overnight, but police have apparently distributed camping gear to demonstrators.
“There is nothing more American than the First Amendment right to protest in public, and it is incumbent upon public leaders to make sure that both the letter and spirit of that constitutional right are protected and perpetuated,” said Willis.
“We’re asking Mayor Jones to listen to his police department, which apparently sees no problem with the overnight campers, and to his conscience, and to reverse his decision to throw out the campers,” added Willis. “It’s not too late to be a help to demonstrators, rather than a hindrance.”
Members of the Occupy Richmond group met with ACLU representatives today to report that they had first been told they could remain overnight but that the mayor had overruled the police department’s decision.
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