Fresno Says End Corporate Rule – Legalize Democracy!

January 21st, 2012 · · Action, Media No comments

About 100 people held a candlelight vigil at the Federal Court house in Fresno today in opposition to the US Supreme Court’s decision that granted corporations the same rights as people have and allowing them to define their unlimited corporate money in political campaigns as free speech.

The National action, taking place in over 100 cities across America, has been called by the Move to Amend campaign (http://www.MoveToAmend.org) and is supported by other national organizations like Public Citizen, Common Cause, People for the American Way, Democracy for America and others.

The U.S. Supreme Court in a 5 to 4 decision in January of 2010 upheld “Corporate Personhood” asserting that the 1st and 14th Amendment gives rights to corporations as people and their money can be considered free speech. Thus, this ruling, often referred to as “Citizens United” opened the floodgates to unlimited, often anonymous, corporate spending on elections and the creation of Super PACS with hundreds of millions of dollars for the purpose of tilting the results of elections in a manner that drowns the voices of citizens. Special interest groups can now spend as much money as they wish to influence legislation or to support or attack candidates for election. Because the US Supreme Court made this ruling, now only a constitutional amendment can change this status and definition. Poll after poll in the last 2 years has shown that more than 75% of Americans across party lines oppose this decision.


An example of special interests money in our elections is being seen in the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primaries going on right now. In early December, the super PAC, Restore Our Future, run by former Romney staffers and larger donors, spent an estimated $3-4 million on negative ads against Gingrich and Gingrich’s poll popularity was down to 13 % from 26%, earlier in that month. Jonathan Hart, of FOX News, reported that the Super PAC is credited with halting Newt Gingrich in Iowa. Congress can no longer make laws limiting campaign spending and does not have the power to override this decision by the Supreme Court. Only a Constitutional Amendment or the Supreme Court can overturn its own decision.

A local coalition of diverse groups that include the Volunteers for Change Fresno, the Social Justice Committee of the Unitarian Church, the Social Justice Task Force of Wesley United Methodist Church, PEACE Fresno, the Fresno Chapter of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, the Central Valley Progressive PAC, the Yosemite Area Move to Amend, The Sierra Progressives Chapter of PDAmerica, Democracy for America, Daily Kos, Occupy Merced and Friends of Sen. Bernie Sanders are some of the organizations sponsoring this event.

“We recognize that amending the Constitution to restore the power of the people over corporations will not be easy, but we know correcting the Supreme Court is imperative to the progress of our nation,” stated David Cobb, a lawyer with Move to Amend.

To date, over 130,000 people and hundreds of organizations have signed an online petition supporting a constitutional amendment at http://www.MoveToAmend.org. Some of the cities and states which have already passed a resolution are New York City, Los Angeles, Boulder Co, Missoula, MN and the state of Montana.
For more information, email movetoamendfresno [at] hotmail.com or call Linda Traynor (559) 435-7520 traynor27 [at] gmail.com .

Via: http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/01/20/18705149.php

Occupy The Courts! – 1-20-11

January 15th, 2012 · · Action No comments

MIC CHECK!

9:00 am-5:00pm, then head to Occupy Fresno afterwards.

If you believe corporations are not people, and money is not free speech join us! If you have been looking for a chance to join the movement and meet like minded humans locally please attend! We are calling all central valley Occupations to join us, from Bakersfield to Merced!

Dress warmly or layer and bring an umbrella and seat if you want. The courthouse has public benches, but restroom facilities will be at all adjacent public buildings, library, recorders office. BYO instruments, posters, snacks and literature. We will post shortly a flier. Water will be provided. We will then meetup at Occupy Fresno afterwards for some light food, entertainment and discussions. 

http://www.fresno.gov/Government/DepartmentDirectory/PublicWorks/Parking/ParkingMapsandInformation/ConventionCenterParking.htm

Dear General Assemblies of the Occupy Movement:

Move to Amend is a broad, grassroots coalition seeking to pass a Constitutional amendment to firmly establish that money is not speech, and that human beings, not corporations, are persons entitled to constitutional rights.

The Move To Amend Coalition stands firmly with Occupy Wall Street and the satellite occupations throughout the U.S. and the world. We write today to say we have no interest in trying to
co-opt your message. We have active members in Occupy locations around the country and have been working to amplify your message in communities across the US.

Despite the best efforts of the Move to Amend coalition, the Occupy movement has done what we have not been able to do by ourselves; you have shone a bright light on the corporate oligarchy for the whole world to see, and the whole world is watching. We congratulate you!

On January 21, 2010, the Supreme Court once again sided with corporations over people in the Citizens United v FEC case, allowing unfettered spending in campaigns by corporations. That decision is just the latest in a century-old string of decisions by the Supreme Court that have expanded Corporate Personhood.

We support you and hope very much hope to work with you to wrench control of our government from those corporations who seek to undermine our democracy, our environment, and our
nation’s overall prosperity for the sake of profit for a few.

CALL TO ACTION:

Occupy the Courts will be a one-day occupation of Federal courthouses across the country, including the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Friday, January 20, 2012.

Together we will lead the charge on the judiciary that created, and continues to expand, corporate personhood rights!

PLEASE JOIN US:
www.MoveToAmend.org/OccupyTheCourts

In peace, solidarity, and admiration,

Kaitlin Sopoci-Belknap
On behalf of the organizers and volunteers at Move to Amend

RSVP:
http://www.facebook.com/events/170420536388180/

https://www.facebook.com/Move2Amend

Occupy Congress – 1/17/12

January 15th, 2012 · · Action No comments

Why January 17th you ask? The U.S. House of Representatives convenes for the first time in 2012 on January 17th.

It’s time for the American people to send a message to Congress. Ordinary citizens are not being represented by their elected leaders. On Jan 17th 2012, thousands of Americans will arrive in Washington DC and Occupy Congress. We have no affiliation with any Political Party, Union or Political Organization. We are individuals organizing ourselves to send a strong message to our elected leaders…”We have had it with your inability to govern and we are coming to confront you in person!” Peacefully.

We are coming because of the corruption.
We are coming because of the bribery.
We are coming to remind congress that they work for the people.

Why Occupy Congress?

A frequent response I get from Libertarian and Tea Party-inclined folks when I ask them “What do you think of the Occupy Movement?” is “They’re directing their anger at the wrong place”. These people view corporations as productive forces in society, and think most of the ills of society are created by government. The truth may lie somewhere in between, but certainly many of our current government programs and institutions are serving only the 1%. If we had a functioning democracy, we could have an honest debate about what’s wrong with our economy and our country and how we can make government and business work for the 99% too. But with Congress bought and paid for by special interests, honest debate is the last thing that occurs in the halls of government.

Abusive corporations make us angry, sure, but, most of the 99% don’t want to abolish capitalism. We recognize the value corporations can bring to our society, but we clearly need some rules. Who is supposed to protect us when corporations get out of control? The government! What we have here is a colossal failure of our government to protect the people it was created to serve. What we have instead is an unholy union of government and private enterprise that serves only itself.

All branches of the federal government are in need of radical reform, but Congress is especially broken. According to RealClearPolitics, a whopping 82.5% of Americans disapprove of the job Congress is doing. Maybe our legislators are not bad people. Maybe they’re just stuck in a system that is no longer capable of working for the people. Let’s give them a chance to prove they have the courage to change that system. We need to get money out of politics, right now, and completely. Musician Steve Van Zandt has written a compelling argument that we need to eliminate all private finance from the electoral process. Why isn’t Congress debating this?

What do you think needs to change in Washington to fix our economy and our country? Hey, Tea Partiers and Libertarians, now that we’re turning from Wall Street to K Street, are you going to join us? We the people, of all political persuasions, need to unite if we want to fix our government so we can have principled debates on what the best solutions are for our common good.

http://www.occupyyourcongress.info/

Occupy Fresno will be having a action that day, some last minute kinks will be worked out so please stay tuned.

Occupy Fresno joins thousands in march to honor King 1-16-11

January 17th, 2012 · · Media No comments

Homelessness, poverty and politics took center stage Monday as one of the largest crowds ever to mark the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in downtown Fresno marched in honor of the slain civil rights leader.

Perfect weather “and a lot of concerns” prompted about 2,000 people to participate, police Capt. Greg Garner said.

Typically, 500 to 1,500 attend, organizers said.

Monday’s crowd included people from Occupy Fresno and Fresno city and county union employees. Signs that marchers carried echoed the diversity of the crowd, with slogans such as “End the War in Iraq” and “Stop Corporate Greed.”

Tracy Barnes’ family participated in the march for the first time.

“We came to show our support for the people who have sacrificed over the years to give us the safety and security that we all enjoy today,” said Barnes, 38, of Fresno.

With a police motorcade leading the way, the marchers started at St. John’s Cathedral on R Street, took Tulare Street, and ended in front of City Hall on P Street.

There, the event resembled a church revival, courtesy of former City Council Member Les Kimber, who said King would be proud of the strides people have made since his assassination in 1968.

“We have gone this far by our faith in leaning on the Lord and years of hard work,” said Kimber, 77. “But we can’t stop now.”

“Amen,” the crowd responded.

Kimber drew loud applause when he said there is too much poverty and homelessness in the United States, as well as government officials denying employees their collective bargaining rights.

City Council President Clint Olivier drew a few boos and catcalls when he tried to speak of King’s message of peace.

“Flip flop, flip flop,” the hecklers said in reference to Olivier’s support in June of privatizing the city’s commercial solid waste operations. Six months earlier, Olivier was the swing vote that had killed privatization.

In the end, the crowd applauded Olivier when he said America should end its participation in all foreign wars.

In its 28th year, the march culminated four days of events, including a community breakfast in Clovis, to honor King’s legacy.

The march drew a large number of people, organizer James Lett III said, because “it seems like more people are becoming concerned with what’s happening in the world.”

Many of the marchers attend year after year. Some were just learning about it.

“I think it’s pretty cool,” said Benjamin Lacey, 17, of Cambridge High School. He and another first-timer — Raul Flick, 14, of Fresno High — were selected to hold a portrait of King and lead the procession.

As the crowd marched, some held hands. Others, including Rep. Jim Costa, sang, “We Shall Overcome.”

Katherine Fiori said she was marching as a member of Occupy Fresno, which has set up shop at Courthouse Park as part of a nationwide demonstration against income inequality and abusive corporations.

Fiori said she is one of many Occupy Fresno protesters due in court next month to face charges of loitering in Courthouse Park.

“I’m fighting for free speech and the right to gather,” said Fiori, 65. “There’s no way I’m going to plead guilty.”

Afterward, organizer Gail Gaston smiled and said: “What a great day to be marching. We are living the dream.”

via: http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/01/16/2685304/thousands-march-to-honor-king.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Costs to Fresno County mount over battles with Occupy Fresno

January 17th, 2012 · · Media No comments

As Fresno County’s battle with Occupy Fresno shifts from the protest camps to the courtroom, the cost to the county has grown — to nearly a quarter-million dollars, and rising.

Now, even some county supervisors are questioning the expense.

The latest cost is attorney and former federal Judge Oliver Wanger, who is providing legal services for the county. County records show Wanger is earning $375 an hour, with permission to bill up to $50,000.

Another cost the county is likely to face is Occupy Fresno’s attorney fees. Because protesters have so far succeeded in parts of their case, the county could be liable for their expenses. That could mean tens of thousands of dollars or more.

The county’s legal bills come on top of nearly $200,000 the county already has spent through Christmas Day, the last day the expenses were tallied. Most of this cost is to the Sheriff’s Office, for monitoring protests and making arrests.

“We’ve spent a lot of money, and we still have people in the park. So what are we accomplishing?” Supervisor Susan Anderson asked. “It’s unfortunate we’re spending these resources when we have all these other needs.”

Since early October, protesters have gathered in the county-owned Courthouse Park as part of a nationwide demonstration against income inequality and abusive corporations. County authorities have been quick to crack down on demonstrators who violate laws, hoping to keep the situation from escalating as it has in other cities.

In recent weeks, though, the protests have slowed. So has the county’s response. Most of the action is now in the courtroom where protesters, citing their First Amendment rights, are challenging the county ordinances that landed many of them in jail.

County Administrative Officer John Navarrette said the county has no choice but to defend itself against the protesters — and pay the price.

“They’re the ones causing us to do this,” he said. “The ball’s in their court. If they want to continue to press the county to spend more money, they can.”

The county had spent $17,400 on legal fees as of Dec. 11, the last day records were available. But that’s only the beginning of the cost.

Anderson said the county might need to extend its contract with Wanger’s firm, Wanger Jones Helsley, before the fight is over.

The county hired the outside firm to help with the case because its in-house legal team is understaffed, according to the County Administrative Office.

While Anderson doesn’t question Wanger’s worth, she does have doubts about whether such premium representation is necessary.

“I’m not sure the situation warrants this,” she said.

Supervisor Debbie Poochigian said she wouldn’t second-guess the County Administrative Office’s legal picks.

“There are costs to protecting the public and there are costs to protecting our facilities,” she said.

Protesters with Occupy Fresno don’t accept blame for the county’s spending. They say they’ve demonstrated peacefully and claim county authorities got involved with the protest unnecessarily.

“It’s not like we’re asking them to come out and babysit us,” Fresno resident Vanessa Aranda said.

Aranda, as do many of the activists, said policing peaceful demonstrations should be a low priority for the county. Additionally, she said, local laws governing their demonstration violate free speech rights and should not have been enforced.

Last month, a federal court made its first ruling on the case and directed the county to stop enforcing two provisions deemed unconstitutional: a ban on handing out leaflets and a requirement that groups of 10 or more get permits to assemble. The county is in the process of changing these provisions.

The judge upheld a third provision prohibiting overnight loitering or camping. However, he said protesters could move to the sidewalk, which is outside the county’s purview.

The protesters said they will continue to fight the county’s overnight ban.

Robert Navarro, an attorney for Occupy Fresno, said legal expenses for the group likely will run tens of thousands of dollars — he did not offer a specific amount — and said the county could be liable.

Supervisor Henry R. Perea, who has been critical of the county’s handling of Occupy Fresno, said he expects the legal bill from protesters to be at least $100,000.

Perea takes aim at county counsel for not knowing the park ordinance was unconstitutional and not helping change it before engaging in a costly legal effort.

“We are well on our way to spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on one of our lowest priorities,” he said.

To date, sheriff’s deputies have made about 100 arrests of Occupy Fresno protesters, almost all before the holidays when the demonstration was bigger. Most of the arrests were for overnight camping.

The cost to the Sheriff’s Office was $183,000 through Dec. 25. About half of that was overtime pay. The other half was regular- time pay, which could have been devoted elsewhere, county officials acknowledge.

Sheriff Margaret Mims said enforcing laws at Courthouse Park has been vital. “Had we allowed the overnight camping to continue,” she said, “it would have created a much bigger problem than we have now.”

via: http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/01/13/2681407/costs-to-fresno-county-mount-over.html

Press Release 12/16/11

December 15th, 2011 · · Press 2 comments

OCCUPY FRESNO
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 16, 2011

Fresno County Ordered to Stop Enforcing Permit Law, Arresting Protesters for Holding a Sign
Occupy Fresno won a significant legal victory in its pending suit against the County of Fresno Tuesday, when the U.S. District Court in San Francisco ordered the County and Sheriff Margaret Mimms to stop enforcing two permit laws regarding public assembly. The court, the Hon. Charles R. Breyer presiding, found the local regulations unconstitutional under the First Amendment.

County defendants were ordered to stop enforcing a regulation that requires people gathered together in groups of ten or more in Courthouse Park to obtain a permit to hold a meeting. The county and Sheriff Mimms were also enjoined from arresting, citing, or otherwise enforcing, against persons in the Park, a county regulation prohibiting people from distributing handbills and holding signs in the public space.

Because retired U.S. District Court Judge Oliver Wanger is representing the County, the case was heard in federal court in San Francisco. At the hearing, Occupy Fresno argued that the restraining order is necessary because of “irreparable harm” to the demonstrators and the public.

“This is an irreparable harm case, because of the liberty issues,” said Robert Navarro, the lead attorney for Occupy Fresno. “It’s not the type of harm that can be paid back with money.”

The regulations are at the center of the controversy over Occupy Fresno’s presence in the park. Ninety-nine arrests of Occupy Fresno activists have taken place since November 6, when the County started demanding evacuation of the park. The demonstrators have maintained a presence there since October 9.

The County Sheriff has used the permit scheme as the basis for maintaining 24-hour surveillance of the activists, at great expense to taxpayers. With the preliminary injunction in place, the attorneys insist that Occupy Fresno’s historically peaceful assembly in Courthouse Park is entirely lawful and is an inspiring demonstration of civic responsibility and engaged political awareness. According to Navarro, “Any further intrusive and intimidating presence of law enforcement officers monitoring and surveilling peaceful and lawful activities in the Park is entirely unwarranted. It is now time for the Sheriff’s deputies to disperse.”

The County continues to demand that protesters leave Courthouse Park at midnight. While the federal court declined to restrain the County from enforcing a regulation on park closure from midnight to 6 a.m. each day, the issue remains in the case, which is expected to go trial next summer.

Occupy Fresno participants point out that they tried to comply with the permit scheme in which permits to stay overnight in the park are allowed by local laws. But the County refused Occupy Fresno’s request for an overnight permit. Rather than suggest conditions, the County decided instead to arrest the peaceful protesters on a repeated basis.

The federal court found that there was ample opportunity for Occupy Fresno to continue its vigil by moving to city sidewalks at midnight, but under new regulations being considered by the city on Wednesday, the sidewalks may also be closed to the public at night.

Occupy Fresno meets in the park to discuss the issues of the day. Its public presence is “expressive conduct,” under the First Amendment and is performed in solidarity with the other Occupy groups located in cities around the U.S. and the world. Their presence is a sign to the public and an ongoing invitation to mobilize as a community for solutions to economic inequality.

Occupy Fresno assists in the West Coast Port Shutdown (Occupy Ventura)

December 14th, 2011 · · Action No comments

A crowd of about 150 soggy protesters held signs and formed a picket line Monday outside the entrance to the Port of Hueneme, a deep-water port in Ventura County, just south of Oxnard.

They were protesting shipments Monday by Del Monte Foods, which is owned by KKR, a private equity firm specializing in leveraged buyouts. Marshall Getto, an Occupy organizer out of Santa Barbara, called the firm “one of the worst companies representing the abuses of the 1%.”

Getto said protesters tried to get the longshoremen to join the demonstration, but the union declined.

“We understand that they have to work and feed their families,” he said. “We know they support us in spirit.”

As the group picketed back and forth, flatbed trucks entering the port sounded their horns.
Michael Bridges, 33, said he arrived from Fresno at 1:30 a.m. and has supported several Occupy events, no easy task in the conservative Central Valley, he said.

He is out of a job after his electronics company dismantled and sent its jobs overseas.

“I feel our votes are counted, but they do not matter anymore,” Bridges said. “I voted Obama, I voted change. Where’s our change?”

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/12/crowd-protests-shipments-in-ventura-county.html

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/dec/12/occupy-protest-underway-at-port-of-hueneme/

http://www.boston.com/Boston/metrodesk/2011/12/cold-night-menino-and-officials-reach-out-count-homeless/WHRJCTn4UCdBsTFSx925aO/index.html

Occupy Fresno Petition

November 29th, 2011 · · Action One comment

Please print out the following petition and present it to your friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors.

Please mail completed petitions to: P.O. Box 5115, Fresno, CA 93755 no later than Dec. 4th.

http://www.occupyfresnoca.com/images/OccupyFresnopetition.pdf

PETITION TO END THE ARRESTS IN FRESNO’S COURTHOUSE PARK 

To the Fresno County Board of Supervisors and Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims: 

We the undersigned hereby call for an immediate end to Fresno County’s current practice of arresting
nonviolent protestors in Courthouse Park, people who are simply exercising their constitutional right
to peaceably assemble and demand redress of grievances.  If such assembly is somehow in conflict
with minor county ordinances, it is within your power to alter or waive those ordinances in such a way
as to allow twenty-four hour peaceable assembly to occur in the vicinity of government offices.  It is a
huge waste of taxpayers’ money to devote so many law-enforcement resources to arresting people
who pose no threat to the public.  Leave Occupy Fresno in peace and devote your resources instead to
fighting real crime.

 

Occupy Fresno cost tops $130+ thousand dollars.

November 22nd, 2011 · · Action, Media No comments

Please remember, we started occupying courthouse park on October 9th.

The first 2 weeks went smoothly without a problem. We had no permit, there were no cops/sheriffs, no damage, no incidents, no cost to anyone.

The next 2 weeks, where we obtained a permit, there were no arrests, no cops/sheriffs, no damage, no incidents, no cost to anyone again. (Contrary to Sheriff Mim’s argument that if they were not present there would be rapes, assault, property damage, etc. Please keep in mind, court house park has always had issues with the houseless, property damage, excrement before we ever set foot onto court house park, it is unfair and simply not true to blame it on us now.)

After our permit expired, our lawyers had a meeting with the county to discuss an extension. We were told they would NOW enforce the 12am-6am ordinance, 4 1/2 weeks after we first assembled. That clearly goes against everything that our movement is about. So we came to the consensus that we would not file for another permit since we felt no need to obtain a permit in which we do not plan to oblige by.

To date, we have had over 95 arrests in just over 2 weeks. The county has spent over 150k+* in arresting peaceful protesters that is not causing any harm to anyone. The jails are overcrowded and day after day they focus on us where that money could be spent for actual crime. If you are angry just as much as we are please speak up and let them know! This needs to stop!
The man behind the eviction is the County Administrative Officer, John Navarette. You can reach him at 559-600-1710.

County Contact:

http://www.co.fresno.ca.us/webform.aspx?id=21249

direct email:
FRWebmail@sjvls.org

Sheriff Mims:  margaret.mims@fresnosheriff.org
County Board of Supervisors:
Phil Larson, Chair:  jbarlow@co.fresno.ca.us
Judy Case:  district4@co.fresno.ca.us
Henry Perea:  ppinedo@co.fresno.ca.us
Susan Anderson:   district2@co.fresno.ca.us
Debbie Poochigian:  District5@co.fresno.ca.us

You may also want to contact our Mayor and voice your concern:

Call Mayor Ashley Swearengin 559-621-8000 or send a email:

Mayor Contact:

http://www.fresno.gov/Government/MayorsOffice/ContacttheMayor/EMailMayor.htm

 

Occupy Fresno Wants to ‘Increase the Peace,’ While Lawsuit Moves Forward

November 20th, 2011 · · Press No comments

OCCUPY FRESNO

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 20, 2011

 

Occupy Fresno Wants to ‘Increase the Peace,’ While Lawsuit Moves Forward

Occupy Fresno is pursuing its federal lawsuit as to First Amendment liberties and Fresno County’s ongoing decisions regarding public gatherings in Courthouse Park.  While the lawsuit moves forward, Occupy Fresno also wants to “increase the peace,” says activist Michael Becker, professor of political science at Cal State University Fresno.

According to Becker, Occupy Fresno’s attorneys are in talks with Fresno County to obtain a “stand-still agreement” or temporary “peace agreement,” that will lead to a more peaceful atmosphere in the Courthouse Park, while Fresno County prepares its brief on the constitutional issues.

As of late Friday, Occupy Fresno and Fresno County were working with U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, to hammer out a schedule for writing briefs and hold hearings in the lawsuit.   Attorneys for Fresno County were not available to meet with Occupy Fresno on Friday, but said they plan an internal meeting Monday, Nov. 21, to discuss the temporary agreement regarding the daily arrests.

Because the agreement was not reached Friday, there were more arrests over the weekend of peaceful protesters.

Occupy Fresno wants an early hearing because of the risks of harm, while Fresno County is seeking more time for briefing. Lead attorney for Occupy Fresno, Robert Navarro, said, “this is an irreparable harm case, because of the liberty issues. It’s not the type of harm that can be paid back with money.”

Occupy Fresno does not object to Fresno County having more time to prepare its case.  However, “because of the ongoing risks of harm, Occupy Fresno wants the County to come the table.” Navarro said. “Let’s reach an agreement regarding the daily arrests of peaceful protesters at the 24-hour vigil, while the County puts together its case.”

Occupy Fresno points out that the truce will increase the peacefulness of relations between the two sides, as well as lower costs for everyone. “Let’s all get along while the legal matters are being written up,” says Navarro.

The County continues to demand that protesters leave Courthouse Park and argues that the police presence is costly. However, Navarro says, “Staying at vigil is a constitutional liberty. Occupy Fresno would not be able to recover money damages for its loss of liberties, were it to give up. Civil liberties cannot be bought and sold in the marketplace,” Navarro explained.

Under Title 13 of the Fresno County Code of Ordinances, permits to stay overnight in the park are allowed, but Fresno County refused Occupy Fresno’s request for a permit to do so, opting instead to arrest peaceful protesters at great expense to the taxpayers.

Occupy Fresno meets in the park to discuss the issues of the day. The presence of Occupy Fresno in the park is expressive conduct, performed in solidarity with all of the other Occupy groups in cities around the world. The presence is a signal to the public that there is an ongoing need to work toward peaceful resolutions to economic inequality.

“Arresting peaceful protesters who gather in a public park is a sure-fire way to change the topic and to chill First Amendment liberties,” said First Amendment expert, Elizabeth E. Martinez, who is a sociology professor at Fresno Pacific University.