Occupy Nashville was a collaboration that began with demonstrations and an

occupation Occupation commonly refers to: *Occupation (human activity), or job, one's role in society, often a regular activity performed for payment *Occupation (protest), political demonstration by holding public or symbolic spaces *Military occupation, th ...

located at Legislative Plaza in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

. Special legislation attempting to oust the Occupy Nashville demonstration passed the Tennessee House of Representatives and Tennessee Senate in February 2012. Until June 2012, Occupy Nashville had continued to engage in organized meetings, events and actions.

Timeline

The following is a timeline of Occupy Nashville events and activity. * Oct. 6, 2011: The Occupy movement first came to Nashville with protests in West End and downtown. Demonstrators said they wanted to show support for "

Occupy Wall Street Occupy Wall Street (OWS) was a protest movement against economic inequality and the influence of money in politics that began in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City's Wall Street financial district, in September 2011. It gave rise to t ...

," which had been growing for weeks. * Oct. 8, 2011: The group set up camp at legislative plaza and vowed to stay there until the government changed. As the movement grew, so did complaints about crime and fights on Legislative Plaza. Occupy members later asked for extra police protection. By the end of the month, state officials imposed an evening curfew on the plaza. * Oct. 28, 2011: Protesters refused to leave. State troopers moved in early Oct. 28 and arrested two dozen protesters. * Oct. 29, 2011: Troopers arrested more protesters. Both times a night judge said the state couldn't legally remove the protestors, who were later released from jail. * Oct. 30, 2011: The

American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". T ...

filed a lawsuit asking for an injunction to stop the curfew and arrests. A federal judge agreed with the ACLU. From there, the group pressed on, even trying to occupy an abandoned state building. * February, 2012: A bill to outlaw camping on state property that's not designated for that purpose passed its first subcommittee. * Feb. 27, 2012: Legislation passed the House 68-21 after lawmakers agreed to a change by the Senate, which approved the bill 20-10 the previous week. * March 2, 2012: Gov. Bill Haslam signed the measure into law. Tennessee Department of General Services Commissioner Steve Cates said in a news release that notices are being posted statewide about the new law, which he said will be enforced after seven days. * March 12, 2012: State police removed the last remaining tents from the Plaza.

Arrests

On October 27 Governor

Bill Haslam William Edward Haslam (; born August 23, 1958) is an American billionaire businessman and politician who served as the 49th governor of Tennessee from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, Haslam previously served as the 67th mayor of ...

signed an executive order enacting a curfew at the state capitol. In the early morning hours of October 28, 29 protesters were arrested when they refused to comply with the order,Occupy Nashville Prostestors Arrested and Released
," ''NewsChannel5.com, 29 October 2011. Retrieved: 29 October 2011. and on the following day, 26 were arrested.Lucas Johnson II,
Tenn. Gov.: 'Occupy' Arrests Necessary for Safety
" ''The Tennessean'', 1 November 2011. In both cases, the arrests were thrown out by General Sessions Night Court Commissioner Tom Nelson, who argued the state had no authority to set a curfew for Legislative Plaza. Haslam stated the curfew was necessary due to deteriorating sanitary conditions and safety issues on the Plaza, though critics have stated that the curfew is a violation of the protesters' civil rights.Brandon Gee,
Lawsuit Seeks Halt to Occupy Nashville Arrests
" ''The Tennessean'', 31 October 2011. Retrieved: 31 October 2011.

Journalist arrested

On October 29, 2011, a reporter covering Occupy Nashville for the ''

Nashville Scene ''Nashville Scene'' is an alternative newsweekly in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1989, became a part of Village Voice Media in 1999, and later joined the ranks of sixteen other publications after a merger of Village Voice Media with ...

'' was arrested with demonstrators for violating the executive-ordered curfew despite identifying himself as a member of the press.

Lawsuit

The

filed a lawsuit in federal court on October 31 to halt the arrests. On November 17, U.S. District Court Judge Aleta Trauger signed an injunction barring the state from enforcing the curfew on Legislative Plaza until the court could decide whether the curfew violates protesters' constitutional rights or not. A decision is not expected until February.

References

Additional sources

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External links

Official website
{{Occupy movement Occupy movement in the United States 2011 in Tennessee 21st century in Nashville, Tennessee Culture of Nashville, Tennessee Organizations based in Nashville, Tennessee