Posted on 03/07/2012 6:13:49 PM PST by Army Air Corps
LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) - Occupy Lubbock will be forced to leave next month due to City of Lubbock maintenance.
Protesters have occupied the area on 19th Street and University for nearly six months. They started by holding signs on the corner of the street. Now they have several tents where they sleep and organize protests. They say they are protesting against the one percent of people that control the majority of our country's wealth.
The group chose their location because it was city property, not a park. Therefore, they were allowed to stay under the condition they would not vandalize the area.
Well now spring is around the corner and the city says they can't maintain the property with tents and signs in the area.
Maintenance work began Wednesday as the City of Lubbock Parks and Recreation department laid down Moloch. Turns out the city will put down fertilizer April 1st, depending on the weather, according to the City Parks and Recreation Director Randy Truesdell. That means Occupy Lubbock can no longer stay.
"We are a movement. They can't stop that," said Protester Xavyr Herrera.
Herrera says they had a heads up about being removed. A man claiming to be a city official, he says, told them Sunday.
"He said they might start construction. So we didn't know if that would mean we would have to leave because of construction permits," said Herrera.
At this point Truesdell says the city does not have a timeline, but he says they will notify protesters two weeks in advance.
Herrera says when that happens they will take their protesting to the Internet and find a new place to occupy.
"As long as we have an area that has high traffic that we can stay at without getting in trouble then we are fine," said Herrera.
As for Occupy Lubbock coming back to the property, Truesdell says as long as they are doing maintenance it is not allowed.
Copyright 2012 KCBD. All rights reserved
Not an endeavour for wimps, to be sure.
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