City Leaders Expect Camping Ordinance Enforcement

Colorado Springs city leaders think round-the-clock demonstrators at Acacia Park should be treated just like homeless campers.

Last year the city enacted a no-camping ordinance to address homeless men and women sleeping in tents near the creeks in town. Now demonstrators have set up tents at the corner of Bijou and Tejon Streets for the past few nights.

The group Occupy Colorado Springs released video from their closed door meeting with the police outlining their opposition to the city ordinance prohibiting homeless campouts.

“We’re not living there,” argued Jason Worf, with Occupy Colorado Springs, “We all have residences that we are able to go to and sleep in.”

Worf added that by occupying the area instead of camping the group is protected by the Constitution.

“Occupation is a protest. Occupation is part of freedom of speech,” said Worf. “Occupation is covered under the first amendment.”

Two city council members who returned Newschannel 13’s calls don’t agree with Worf, and the demonstrators. Scott Hente and Bernie Herpin believe the rules that apply to the homeless should be applied to demonstrators.

“At city council I asked the police department to equally and fairly enforce our ordinances,” said Herpin. “When we had folks camping along our creeks we asked them to leave so I expect the same thing to be done here.”

Herpin said he doesn’t expect immediate arrests though.

“The homeless outreach team are the experts and they’re away this week,” said Herpin. “They’ll be back Monday and I expect they would be the folks to enforce the ordinance because that’s their job, they know how to do it very diplomatically.”

Herpin said he doesn’t believe anyone was ever arrested for violating the camping ban. Herpin said most were warned, given 48 hours to leave and complied.

Mayor Steve Bach is also out of town and has not provided a public statement on the Occupy Colorado Springs situation.

Here’s a link to the video posted by Occupy Colorado Springs.