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C. Aluka Berry / AP file
Occupy Columbia protesters sang together before they were arrested Nov. 16 on the South Carolina State House grounds in Columbia.
Occupy Columbia protesters can return to the South Carolina State House grounds in Columbia after a state judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking Gov. Nikki Haley's attempted eviction of the movement.
NBC station WIS of Columbia reports that the order, which Circuit Judge Alison Lee signed Wednesday morning, will let the protesters bring sleeping bags and tents onto the capital grounds around the clock for the next 10 days. She said the protesters were likely to win a court challenge of the eviction on free speech grounds.
A hearing for a permanent injunction is scheduled for next week, The State newspaper reported.
Haley declared last week that protesters would be arrested if they were on the grounds after 6 p.m. After the arrests of 19 people on Nov. 16 led to widespread criticism, the order was amended to allow protesters to stay on the grounds all night as long as they didn't sleep or use sleeping bags.
The decision comes the same day that several Occupy Columbia protesters who were arrested last week for refusing to leave the grounds filed a lawsuit Haley and state public safety officials, The Associated Press reported.
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Dontcha love these liberal judges? He should invite them to HIS house. Se how ya like that my progressive judge friend.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/Green-Bay-Packers-James-Jones-journey-from-homeless-childhood-112311
The capitol is my house and the judge and I say they can stay.
All State and Federal land belongs to the US citizens, glad to see that they court systems are being used to establish presidence. March on Occupy, use the system to fix the system. File law suits, Occupy every Congressman and Senator's office, start getting phone rooms goingas well as E-mail teams flood them with letters, phone calls, faxes, E-mails, and personal visits to their offices. SemperFi.
So then we should remove all police officers from public roads, since they do belong to us. People should drive 180 mph if they want. People can run out into the street and disrupt traffic if they want, it's their right. Let them take over the parks so the rest (majority) of the citizens can't enjoy them (parks are there to boost morale, not give babies a place to whine all day). The first amendment gives you the right to assemble peaceably, nowhere does it say you can infringe on others rights. Your rights stop when you interfere with the rights of others. Police officers ensure that public property is being used properly so -ALL- citizens can enjoy its benefits. OWS protesters are taking public property and acting like they own it. They have every right to assemble on their own private property as long as they want, that way they no longer impose their fanatical-ism on the rest of the population.
That is a load of wild eyed hyperbole there John. You should cook it tomorrow.
They aren't infringing on anyone's rights. If you wan to picnic you have to find a picnic site that is not Occupied. That is the way it has always been.
The OWS are not asking for police protection you are insisting on it for your protection. You pay for it sucka.
Whats the difference between freedom and anarchy ltcommander? Do you have a clue?
What's the difference between democracy and oligarchy JohnDoe? Looks like you are being out voted.
To bad the protestors are the minority.
John, there is a fundamental difference between our constitutional rights and being a complete idiot on the road. It is public land, and thus, the protesters can exercise the constitutional right of free speech on said public land.
Seems like the biggest change the OWS folks are fighting for is the right to sleep in a bag in a park !
lt...
Then the OWS folks should be paying for the costs for police coverage and cleanup...why should 'Ren' have to pay for that ? Why should I have to pay for it ?
If you want to donate money to pay the bill, that's fine. But enough of my tax dollars are taken and wasted every day by one government agency or another.
I would tell the police to go home. They are not needed.
Second I would just set out some trash cans and porta-potties and let them camp out and demonstrate.
It would be cheaper still to just let them use the public toilets in the public state building.
They will go home within a year or so. Why get your panties in a wad friend?
IT: I would tell the police to go home. They are not needed.
I'm guessing the women who were raped, the people who were murdered and beaten would argue your point.
Well they could be called after the fact as usual.
Your concern for the OWS protestors is touching. As was Bloomberg's who seized their generators out of deep concern they might scald an ankle. As was the 18 mayors that conspired to remove the protestors out of fear for their health and safety. As was the pigs that sprayed the college kids in Davis CA out of concern for the clarity of their nasal passages.
The porta-potties aren't owned by the government. They are owned by the evil corporations. Who did you want to donate these?
It sounds like Hailey is a tyrant and violates the protester's HUMAN RIGHTS. At least the judge had some sense.
These "Occupy" protesters are getting totally out of control. Yes, they have the right to protest, but no where in the constitution does it say they have a right to camp out on public property and disrupt the use of it by other people who have just as much right to the use of that property. That is why we have rules and regulations for the use of "our public property". No where in the constitution does it say that "the people" have a right to disobey lawful orders to disperse from the police or the government. Our consitutional rights are not unlimited. Freedom of speech is not unlimited. If they want to protest, more power to them, but get a permit, and then go home at night. This civil disobedience has to stop and the idiotic judges that rule in the favor of these anarchist hoodlums needs to be impeached.
Where do you think most large protest movements are done? Look at the march on Washington and the entire Civil Rights Movement. Look at protests in Egypt. They are done in noticeable, public places for a reason.
The Constitution guarantees the right of peaceful protest and assembly and the right to free speech so that the citizens are allowed to protest their government. Once a body of the government begins to limit that right (thru rules or laws), such as eviction, charging for security/permits and restricting the time and activities of what people do during these protests, the whole act of protesting then becomes 'illegal'. If the People just blindly accept those laws (i.e. infringements), then we are at the total mercy of the government - which is exactly what our Founding Fathers wanted to protect against. Sometimes democracy means standing up and breaking the invalid laws. Check your history, some of our greatest advances were because of people who stood up, broke the rules and said, "this is not acceptable!"
The Occupy movement is starting to adopt an anti-corruption platform that will garner much more respect. An Occupy member's page http://owwc.gu.ma , supporting a business owner who lost millions of dollars to a corrupt officials seems to illustrate this.
They do have a right to occupy public spaces. Most people don't realize that other then farms and stores all other lands in the city was public property. The city/county might not have a specific sign on it because that was considered public property then. Its only now, today that there is less public space and another definition of public property. As for the whole police comments, they are right they should go home. However mayors/cheifs like to prey on people's fears that something could go bad and they need the OT. Plus cops wont be sleeping in your tent, just like cops don't sleep in your room at night, so this argument is flawed. As for rapers they get 'what goes around comes around' when they are put into prison, they get raped by bubba who also goes by the name big d. Its like saying our society is bad cause 1 person did something wrong that happens outside of that group already creating a double standard. The problem is our society hasn't done critical thinking in a long time, as long as they are entertained, people don't try to solve their problem, they just endure it till the next round of entertainment. I'll just watch tv when I get home from work... aww this game, this tv show is awesome.. I can't wait to get home and forget about my problems, instead of working to solve them. I think only know critical thinking is happening that hasn't come about for about 30-40 years and this upsets the politicians.
Well said! I am saddened to see so many people that compare apples to oranges and they think they have a valid argument. "So, what you are saying is that it is okay to camp out and protest at City hall, a public property - therefore you must be saying that it is okay to camp out on protected wildlife preserves for my own personal enjoyment". "So, what you are saying is that it is okay to defy the police's command to disburse, so it must be okay to get drunk and drive." You are right! Critical thinking skills is at an all time low!
It would be real nice to go to Yellowstone, (a public park), and set up camp where ever I want.
im glad the people (owp) kept on fighting for their rights and beliefs. Good Luck..
itcommander:
What say you to the tearing down of the privately owned fence? The squatting on private property?
Lay your wisdom, (BS), on us. I'm waiting for a good excuse for that. I'm sure you'll come with one.
If the State capital grounds are public property then so too should the capital grounds in DC be declared public property. The OWS crowd need to take their protest and go where the real problems are... the seat of government and the Supreme Court, where the laws of this land are ultimately declared true or struck down.
Let's see how long their right to wallow all over "our" public land lasts on the grounds of the White House.
What a good idea! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yf45XNdcorU Looks like they took your advice. :D