Never did hear from City Manager Mary Suhm about what she intended to tell Mayor Mike Rawlings concerning Occupy Dallas's continued camp-out behind Dallas City Hall. No matter: Moments ago Suhm sent to the mayor and city council a memo outlining what she says are "numerous, ongoing, and material breaches" of the settlement agreement allowing protesters to occupy the parking lot behind City Hall. And she doesn't just mean the man arrested for sexual assault, the child picked up by CPS or Saturday's arrests. Although there is that.
Writes Suhm:
The Crisis Intervention unit of the Dallas Police Department has inspected encampment on several occasions and remains concerned about the health and public safety of people at the camp, especially children. Participants in Occupy Dallas have been arrested for criminal trespassing, obstructing a public sidewalk, assaulting a public servant, and resisting arrest. Moreover, some participants have been observed urinating in public, operating a space heater within three feet of combustible material, and committing various parking violations.Also included is a missive sent to Jonathan Winocour, the group's legal rep, in which First Assistant City Attorney Chris Bowers outlines what he says are other violations of the agreement, including the removal of temporary fencing "protecting the trees" behind City Hall, "which has required the City to expend resources on replacing the fencing on an almost daily basis." And, writes Bowers, "some participants of Occupy Dallas at times have left feces, moldy and mildewy food, and piles of trash at the camp."
Writes Bowers, the group has until 5 p.m. Saturday "to cure all of these violations and to treat public property with appropriate care." Says the city attorney, if that doesn't happen, the city will rip up its settlement and begin removing tents and enforcing "all laws." Suhm and Bowers's docs follow.
