Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam has responded to a letter from Occupy Nashville protesters with one of his own. That’s as today a state official said the protests at Legislative Plaza have cost the state “thousands” of dollars, without giving a specific amount.
Occupiers wrote Haslam yesterday to say they’d like to start over, after 50 protesters were arrested last week for violating a curfew. Haslam’s administration has backed off that curfew in court, since it was challenged on grounds of free speech and assembly.
In his response, Haslam wrote (pdf) that he supports those rights, and reiterated concerns over safety on the plaza. And Haslam told reporters this:
“I do think there’s been a real effort by the Occupy Nashville folks to be really responsible about how they maintain that area. We have to make certain we’re fair for everybody. So that’s part of the consideration we take into account.”
Earlier this week Haslam said the state doesn’t have the resources to clean and maintain security on the plaza if protesters stay camped there for months. And today his commissioner of General Services pointed to occupiers’ use of electricity on the plaza, as well as cleanup, and said there are “significant other costs.”
WEB:
Haslam fielded questions from reporters Friday afternoon about Occupy Nashville. Raw audio follows:
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