Occupy New Paltz upset with village nighttime park closure
Occupy New Paltz upset with village nighttime park closure
http://midhudsonnews.com/News/2012/February/10/OccNP_gripe-10Feb12.html
NEW PALTZ – Members of Occupy New Paltz are concerned with the village board’s decision to order the participants out of Hasbrouck Park after 9 p.m. That’s when the park closes.
The board has asked the group to fill out insurance forms and applications to use the park as any other group would be required to do, Mayor Jason West said Thursday.
But, Occupy member James Tremblay believes the issue is deeper than that.
“I believe this is a violation of First Amendment rights because I, as part of Occupy Poughkeepsie, we were just peaceably assembling and expressing our rights and grievances against the government,” he said.
Several weeks ago, Poughkeepsie officials enforced the city’s 11p.m. curfew on all city parks and ordered it vacated overnight.
In New Paltz, Mayor West said the village is not stifling their rights.
“Whenever the park opens to whenever the park closes, they are welcome to be there the same as everybody else; they can pitch tents all day for all we care, but just share the space with the other people that want to use it, is all we are asking, something they have chosen not to work with us to do.”
West said the Occupiers made a conscious choice not to fill out the appropriate paperwork.
