Despite numerous promises to the contrary, Occupy Charlottesville (OC) left Lee Park in far worse condition than they found it.
An October 17 Daily Progress story trumpets the lawless group’s intentions for the park, if they are granted special permission to camp there:
Occupy Charlottesville protesters asked the City Council on Monday to suspend the 11 p.m. curfew in Lee Park, which they are occupying.
Speakers from the group said that they feel the group is within the spirit, if not the letter, of the law, in that they want to keep the park safe, clean and healthy. [emphasis added]
A November 19 OC Facebook posts again states the group’s objective to maintain the park:
We will be having group park clean-up over the next few days to get the park neat and shiny: Tonight at 6pm, Sunday 10am, and Monday 10am. Feel welcome to stop by and pitch in whenever you can though. The to-do list includes: Trash/recycling/compost disposal, Common tent re-organization, Leaf raking, Sign posting, General pick up, additional seating. Any more needs we can be sure to cover? [emphasis added]
The Special Events Permit issued to Occupy Charlottesville clearly delineates the group’s practical and financial responsibilities upon their departure:
- Any damage to park shrubbery, flower beds and or trees resulting from your organization’s special event will require reimbursement for any repairs or replacement
- Participants will be responsible for cleaning up the park area after the event.
Charlottesville City Public Works crews were on hand at Lee Park shortly after 7:00 this morning, attempting to deterg the site prior to public observation of the Occupiers’ reproach—an aftermath of filthy refuse.
While the fraction is the same, the numbers have been flipped. When it comes to bearing the financial burden for restoring Lee Park to usable condition, 1% made the mess, but 99% will pay to clean it up.
View the Lee Park “trashed” pictures that Charlottesville City doesn’t want you to see:
Charlottesville sanitized Lee Park at 7AM, but Schilling Show was there first.
Exclusive pictures of Occupy Charlottesville's trashed Lee Park, cleaned at taxpayer expense: http://wp.me/p1x2fK-1yY.
oK…. WOW.
Again actions are louder than written word. 16 when to jail for what?
To get out of the cold and get a warm meal in the belly.
How much is this going to cost us all?
It is way past the time for a new city government but no matter what we say, it is the few individuals who have the pre-civil war money who enough the Norris stay in power.
Wake up Charlottesville, wake up.
They should make them go out there and clean it up themselves! Put them in orange jump suits and let them see that the other percent expect them clean up after them selves.The city workers should not have to do it. You know I would like to know if the city council has a comment about all this? And for kristen slackos to be out there stating that she felt bad for making them leave. Let her get out there and clean it. Remember this folks at election time. Rob, have you asked them for an official comment? Send them the pictures and see what they think. This is just terrible!
i have no words for this except that i do not think this is what a world class city deserves and that this group made a mockery of our government, our citizens, and of the city workers that have to go out there and clean it. this is really sad… i wonder how much all of this cost after it was over. or is it over? i guess no one know's.
The poor guys cleaning up are the 99%.
http://www.nbc29.com/story/16165117/crews-clean-up-lee-park-mess-left-by-occupy-charlottesville
The Occupiers promised “We will leave this park cleaner than we left it.”
They were granted a full extra day in the park so they could pack up their belongings and clean the park during daylight hours. Yet another special accommodation that was thrown back in the city’s face.
Now there’s talk today of City government working with them to get them into McIntire Park after all? Is Kouncil going to put Charlottesville through this debacle all over again? Amazing.
Once again actions, or the lack thereof, speak louder than words.
Rob, this is outrageous. Thank you so much for these photos, and for your diligence in documenting all this.
If there was any justice left in the City of Charlottesville, the City Councilors who enabled all this to occur would be out there on their hands and knees with buckets, cleaning up what the overgrown toddlers they enabled left there.
And of all the things for Charlottesville to get into the national news for, how sad that it is because a few dozen foul-mouthed punks decided to violate a city eviction order.
Keep up the great work, Rob.
Who is really surprised by this? These unfortunate souls have not learned how to work. We as a society and their parents have failed them. All they know how to do is complain to get what they want. Are we teaching our children to work hard and live within their means? When I look at those images I see a symptom of a much larger problem.
Thanks for documenting the filth. The prictures are iconic on many levels. It reflects a group that has no reguard for the norms of a civilized society. The pictures reflect a group who would rather see the norms of a civilized society degraded rather than to build them up.
Most of us want a clean home and a warm bed to sleep in at night. We work hard for the food we put on the table and the shelter over our heads and we feel blessed to have them. We earn our way in the world and don’t expect much from those around us. We see a need someone has and we try as best we can to meet that need. We are independent and proud in the best sense of those terms. We are in fact free.
Scripture says that if you don’t work you don’t eat. That is an emotional, psycological and physically sound formula. There is a justice in that formula that the Occupyers reject at its heart. Their iconic immages show us what a people without God degenerate to. Their public display should leave an indelible immage of what our society would become if we continue to give them credence and power.
The complicity of the City Governence shoulld demonstrate vividly their enabling of the Occupyers and the destructive forces they represent. If we do not stand against these forces we will loose our freedom. Look at the pictures and see our future if we don’t act politically to oppose this movement and the forces they represent.
Sleeping in a park has nothing to do with Free Speech. So says the Supreme Court of the USA.
I hear that Councilor Szakos does not agree! Well I guess she is the Queen of Charlottesville. She decides on what the First Amendment means, who has what right and the power to collect taxes from the people. Oh yes, the rest of City Council backs her, maybe not. But she is still thinking she is Queen.
So let her pay for it all. Scores of Police, porta-potties, trash removal, electricity, City Council time.
Most of the tents were donated, turned into billboards and remained EMPTY. The police confirm this. The speeches at City Council were professionally written in the same “voice” along with the naked ladies speech.
This was a City Council sponsored SCAM! They full well know it. There was a “Call” electronically sent out to come down to the final rally. Did Szakos help with the list?
This post is *exceptionally* one sided. I see a lot of coverage for the mess that was left behind, and not a lot of coverage about how the city promised them 3 days to clean and then evicted them on a few hours notice.
Amazing to me after all Mayor Norris did to try to accomidate this group how they ended this thing. Everything they talked about meant nothing in the end. Don’t get me wrong, I thought it was wrong to wrong to waive the curfew to start with but if we are gonna make mistakes it should be on the side of suporting free speech rights. The shame of this is when a legitamite group comes along they will be looked differently because of the way this group acted at the end.
If this group is still looking for a occupy spot I suggest the front lawn of the county office building. Has everything they need and our “friends” in the county can enjoy them as we did!!
The best way to evacuate the occupiers is to hold a Jobs Fair on-site.
To add to this mess, an occupier has now file a complaint again Charlottesville Police Officer using excessive force.
They are taught to use pressure point. When someone doesn’t comply, as this young lady didn’t. This is only recourse. Yes it is painful. Yes it suppose to be. Maybe they should has spray the whole group with pepper spray, which is even worse.
It is a shame that the occupiers have to keep this going on and on.
Did you make sure to get the pictures of the trash bags that had city trash stickers on them? YES most of the bags
had city stickers on them.. Rob did you ask Parks and Rec why they did not come by for the 2 weeks prior to eviction of OC and dump the “CIY -owned” trash cans? Why did OC dump these cans and replace them with their own bags? I saw it wih my own eyes.
I myself helped to load up a dozen lawn/leaf bags of trash the weekend before the eviciton. People were coming by regularly and helping with recycle and trash.
so Please do not make it sound like the trash was ignored.
Also, most of your pictures dneote about 5 locations where the trash was.
If we werent taking care of the trash, wouldnt there have been considerably more trash?
Anyway OC is still alive and well, you cant evict an idea.
thanks for letting me share.
[…] prior to Stewart’s arrival, Occupiers and Organizers—convened by social justice dissident David Swanson and City Councilor Kristin Szakos via social […]