Politics & Government

Mayor Reed Backs off Monday's Occupy Deadline

In a statement Friday, the mayor's office told Channel 2 Action News that Reed never meant the deadline to be cast in stone and that he may or may not extend an executive order allowing the protesters to remain in Woodruff Park.

Mayor Kasim Reed's office said Friday that the original order that Occupy Atlanta leave Woodruff Park today was never meant to be a hard deadline, according to a report on the WSB-TV website.

The office said earlier Friday that the expiration of that order was never meant to be a hard deadline, but added once that time comes, Mayor Reed will reevaluate the situation and make his final determination.

That original order gave demonstrators the ability to remain in the downtown park after 11 p.m. Under that order, protesters must remove their tents by 5 p.m. Monday and vacate the park by 11 p.m.

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This comes after Occupy Atlanta's leader, Tim Franzen, told Channel 2's Richard Elliot that they had no plans to leave the park by 11 p.m. Monday.

 "We will be ready for non-violent civil disobedience," said Franzen. "We have commitments from specific civil rights leaders to stand here with us, to sit down and link arms, and to be dragged off and sent to jail if that's what the mayor wants."

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The Occupy movement drew the ire of some Cascade Heights residents in the first few days of demonstrations in Atlanta, Oct 7-8 when from one of the area's most esteemed residents,

The organization later issued and has since been joined by area civil rights organizations and touted by the likes of Former Atlanta City Councilman and WAOK 1380-AM drive-time . In addition, an unscientific poll in a recent Cascade Patch column  found that 83 percent of respondents believe

Since appearing on the scene at Woodruff Park, however, the question of draining city resources and the risk of a violent protest has been on the minds of many residents in southwest Atlanta and beyond.

According to a report in Sunday's Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta police have maintained only a low-key presence at the park during the  protest, which is about to enter its second week.

Reed has told members of the City Council Public Safety Committee that while the city wants to respect the demonstrators’ right to express their views, they cannot be allowed to camp in the park indefinitely.

“This has got to got to come to a close at some point,” Reed said. “At some point, we have to act.”

As Occupy Atlanta's occupation of Woodruff Park enters its second week, no one is exactly sure how much the demonstrations are costing Atlanta's taxpayers, though APD admits it is costing something.

In an e-mail received by a WSB-TV Channel 2 reporter, Atlanta Police spokesman Carlos Campos said it was just too early to tell the exact expenditures.

But he confirmed it is costing taxpayers some money.

Said Campos, "There is no question that providing police presence to properly ensure public safety surrounding the Occupy Atlanta movement requires an increased expenditure of resources and funding."


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