/ Modified dec 14, 2011 11:29 a.m.

700 Citations Issued to Occupy Tucson Participants

Activists keep movement alive in downtown park 'to practice free speech'

121311_Occupy_Tucson_Update_617_347 Occupy Tucson participants continue to clash with law enforcement officials.
AZPM

The Occupy Tucson camp in downtown's Veinte de Agosto Park continues even as authorities dismantle other camps around the country.

Jon McLane, who has been active with the Occupy Tucson movement since Sept. 26 and says he helped organize the original camp in Armory Park, says the occupy movement has activated a broad segment of the population with many issues to be addressed.

“Currently the objective that we’re facing all over the United States is the right to practice free speech between the hours of 10:30 p.m. and 6 a.m. on public lands,” McLane says.

Lawyer Paul Gattone, who represents members of the Occupy Tucson movement, says participants are engaging in civil disobedience and have maintained a non-confrontational relationship with the police.

Gattone, who is providing his services for free, says 107 people have been cited more than 700 times by Tucson police for violating the park curfew ordinance.

“What’s frustrating for me is that when rich people get together it’s a ‘political action committee,' and when working people get together then it’s a ‘crazy mob’ and we have to push them out,” Gattone says.

By posting comments, you agree to our
AZPM encourages comments, but comments that contain profanity, unrelated information, threats, libel, defamatory statements, obscenities, pornography or that violate the law are not allowed. Comments that promote commercial products or services are not allowed. Comments in violation of this policy will be removed. Continued posting of comments that violate this policy will result in the commenter being banned from the site.

By submitting your comments, you hereby give AZPM the right to post your comments and potentially use them in any other form of media operated by this institution.
AZPM is a service of the University of Arizona and our broadcast stations are licensed to the Arizona Board of Regents who hold the trademarks for Arizona Public Media and AZPM. We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples.
The University of Arizona