Occupy Louisville to try to stop tent ban

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LOUISVILLE, Ky., Dec. 28 (UPI) -- A lawyer for the Occupy Louisville protest said it will ask the courts to stop the Kentucky city's efforts to force protesters to leave a downtown park.

The city said the protesters must pack up their shelters at Founder's Square Park by Monday but many demonstrators indicated they wouldn't abide by the deadline to remove the approximately 20 tents, The (Louisville) Courier-Journal reported Tuesday.

"The tents are an inherent part of the speech of this movement," said attorney Chris Harrell, who has been negotiating on behalf of Occupy Louisville seeking a new permit. "Without the tents, they can't occupy this space 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And 24-7 occupation is what this movement is all about."

Harrell said he hoped a judge would immediately sign a temporary injunction that would be in effect until a full hearing is conducted.

Occupy Louisville -- an off-shoot of the Occupy Wall Street movement -- wants a permit that would allow protesters to camp through 2012, the Courier-Journal said.

However, city officials have said any new permit will only allow the protesters to gather during daylight hours and wouldn't permit overnight camping or tents to be erected.