Posted: Nov 7, 2011 1:46 PM
Updated: Nov 7, 2011 2:52 PM
TUCSON - Over the weekend, Tucson Police Department made 24 total arrests at Veinte de Agoso Park, opting to arrest, cite and field-release "Occupy Tucson" demonstrators in the park after 10 p.m.
According to a news release from TPD, nine people were arrested for refusing to leave the park on Friday night, six on Saturday, and nine on Sunday. No force was used during any of the contacts, TPD officials confirm.
A handful of these protesters were in City Court Monday morning, where a judge continued their case until next week.
At issue is whether or not these folks can continue to remain in the parks after hours while their cases play out in court. The judge said they cannot violate any local, state, federal laws.
But if they do, they will not necessarily be charged with contempt of court. However, if they stay in the park after hours and police cite them, that will continue to be added to their records.
A frustrating morning for some of these people who say this infringes on their first amendment rights. Their attorney has volunteered many of the occupiers.
"They try to establish round the clock presence to show that the constitution never sleeps," said Guy Keenan, representing the Occupy Tucson movement. "There's no closing hour on the First Amendment. Political speech is available to all citizens as a right of citizenship, no matter when you want to express yourself 24/7."
Occupy Tucson will file a federal lawsuit this afternoon or tomorrow morning, which will try to enjoin city from issuing any citations, tickets, or being harassed while protesting in public. They say they are filing because the city is not cooperating.
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