Occupy Asheville was ousted last night. Members of council voted unanimously to sign a resolution supporting a Constitutional amendment that would ban corporate personhood. The resolution was intended to make the campers next to city hall feel they had not weathered the winter outdoors in vain. Then, it was time to tell the campers to get out by noon this Friday. Rather than issuing an eviction notice, the city converted undesignated city-owned greenspace into parks where the citywide 10:00 p.m. curfew would apply. It then created two free speech zones where people could protest at all hours. The city did not equate tents with speech, so another ordinance banned camping, or participating in any activities that might lead a police officer to conclude one was camping, within the city limits.
Occupants spoke against the move, saying it would hurt homeless people. One citizen objected to council bowing to public input from persons from Portland; Washington, DC; Oakland; and New York. He had lived in Asheville 83 years, and he wanted council to be considerate of those who pay property taxes and vote in city elections.
