It seems that Denver isn't the only city in Colorado facing strict tent ordinances.
Several Occupy Colorado Springs participants met with police yesterday to try and reach an agreement about camping in Acacia Park, despite a citywide camping ban enacted last year. Colorado Springs Police spokesman Sgt. Steve Noblitt told the Gazette that because occupiers aren't creating a disturbance, enforcing the ordinance hasn't been a top priority.
The anti-tent policy was created last year to address tents being pitched by the homeless near creeks throughout Colorado Springs.
“But if we start receiving complaints, if they’re blocking paths down there, sleeping down there, we’ve made it clear to them that it would be in violation of our ordinances, and they can be arrested. We’re not saying we’re waiting until Monday. We’re just simply saying we made a referral to our outreach team,” Noblitt told the Gazette.
However despite the meeting between the group and law enforcement, some organizers have told KRDO that they plan to stay in the park and are even prepared to go to jail. Meanwhile other residents told 11News that if the homeless were thrown out, the protestors should be too.
For a little while rumors were circulating on Twitter that police would shut down #OccupyCS after 11p.m. last night when the park closes, but Sgt. Noblitt told the Gazette it was just a rumor.
Yesterday the Huffington Post reported Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper's reaction to #OccupyDenver campers, and the movement's request for a waiver from the ordinance.
What we've asked repeatedly is: come at 6 o'clock in the morning until 10 o'clock at night, but we can't let you [stay] overnight with all these tents. They're next to each other. What happens if something suddenly catches on fire and four or five tents burn? Who are you guys going to blame? You guys are going to be on us like white on rice, in a second, the whole community will say: How could you let people take that risk?