NASHVILLE — Occupy Nashville protesters are putting Gov. Bill Haslam, state lawmakers and the highway patrol on notice that, if they are if evicted from Legislative Plaza, they will seek to occupy the state Capitol, vacant housing and even restrooms at the Haslam family-owned chain of truck stops.
In an “open letter,” the protest group denounces legislation designed to oust it from the plaza, where members have camped since October. The bill is sponsored in the House by Rep. Eric Watson, R-Cleveland.
“If you pass this bill to evict Occupy Nashville and criminalize our un-housed friends, then you have chosen to escalate the conversation,” the letter says. “If you pass this bill, we will prevail in the courts and on the streets. If you pass this bill, you may expect actions like this:”
The letter goes on to list protesters moving to occupy the state Capitol, other public property, foreclosed homes and, “we will occupy the restrooms of all Pilot Travel Centers.”
The national Pilot Flying J Travel Centers chain is owned in part by Haslam and other Haslam family members.
For complete details, see tomorrow’s Times Free Press.
Andy Sher is a Nashville-based staff writer covering Tennessee state government and politics for the Times Free Press. A Washington correspondent from 1999-2005 for the Times Free Press, Andy previously headed up state Capitol coverage for The Chattanooga Times, worked as a state Capitol reporter for The Nashville Banner and was a contributor to The Tennessee Journal, among other publications. Andy worked for 17 years at The Chattanooga Times covering police, health care, county government, ...
When asked whether occupying truck stop restrooms was an appropriate method of civil disobedience, protesters replied ‘yes, we believe taking a wide stance will enable us to grab hold of this issue’
People have been known to have suffered physical attacks when loitering in public restrooms ... I'm just sayin' ...
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