December 1, 2011

Charlottesville police arrested 18 Occupy Charlottesville demonstrators from Lee Park in the early hours of Thursday morning. They were taken to the magistrate's office at the Albemarle Charlottesville Regional Jail on Avon Street, and all have since been released on summons.

Charlottesville Police Lieutenant Ronnie Roberts said all protesters were arrested for trespassing in a City park after the curfew of 11 p.m. He said one person was inspected by the Charlottesville Albemarle Rescue Squad after showing signs of distress, but no one was taken to the hospital. No other injuries have been reported.

The 18 individuals arrested between 11: 45 p.m. Wednesday and 1:45 a.m. Thursday are:

Mario G. Brown, 23, of Charlottesville

Donna J. Carty, 60, of Charlottesville

Kali A. Cichon, 25, of Charlottesville

Ryan L. Whitcomb, 22, of Charlottesville

Derrick Shanks, 23, of Staunton

Joe Grainer, 57, of Charlottesville

Frank Richards, 56, of Charlottesville

Earl Flansburg, 54, of Louisa

Chelsey R. Weber, 23, of Charlottesville

Bailee E. Hampton, 31, no known address

John H. Haines, 20, of Charlottesville

Bruce C. Hlavin, 51, of North Garden

Veronica H. Fitzhugh, 32, of Charlottesville (also charged with indecent exposure)

Shelly S. Stern, 36, of Charlottesville

Lee A. Kinkade, 38, of Charlottesville

Megan M. Ranfro, 23, of Charlottesville

Kaitlin A. Johnson, 21, of Charlottesville

Sara M. Tansey, 23, of Charlottesville

Their cases are scheduled to be heard in the Charlottesville General District Court on Friday, Dec. 16.

As for the park, members of the Charlottesville Parks and Recreation Department went over to Lee Park around 9 a.m. Thursday to clean up the debris left behind by protesters. The staff removed everything from tents to clothing to pieces of furniture.

City residents say they are just glad to have their park back.

"This is a perk of my job being able to walk the dog, and we have avoided the park just because of taunting," said Suzanne Hamilton.

Anything that looked as though it might be valuable was taken to the Public Works Yard. According to a notice handed out to protesters Wednesday night, they will have five days to claim their property.

Charlottesville Police and Fire Departments are at Lee Park. Police have not issued tickets or made any arrests at this point.

Occupy Charlottesville's permit to stay in Lee Park expired at 6 p.m., however protesters have until the park's curfew at 11 p.m. to clear out. Anyone in the park after 11 p.m. will be in violation of city code.

Police handed out notices that say all structures, tents and tarps need to be removed by 11p.m., if not they will be considered abandoned property and removed. People will have five days to reclaim their property from the City of Charlottesville's Public Work Department.

Police issued this news release regarding the 11:00 p.m. deadline:

"Beginning at 1300 hrs on 11/30/2011, Charlottesville Police began distributing notices to those persons occupying Lee Park notifying them that the final permit granting legal authority to camp out and occupy Lee Park on a permanent basis will expire at 1800 hrs on 11/30/2011.

Our hope and expectation is that all protesters will comply with the law and vacate the park by 2300 hrs on 11/30/2011.

The Special Events Certificate of Approval authorizing the demonstration in Lee Park shall expire on November 30, 2011 at 6:00 p.m., EST.

Any and all structures, to include, portable tents, tarps, coverings, or other such items used for the purpose of shelter must be removed. Items which remain in the park after that time are subject to removal as abandoned property and will be retained for a period of 5 (five) days. Those items may be claimed at the Public Works Department, 305 4th Street, NW, during normal business hours.

Upon expiration of the Special Events Certificate of Approval, the normal closing times for Lee Park will resume. Therefore, at 11 p.m. EST, the park will close and those remaining on those grounds shall be deemed in violation of Section 18-1 (c) of the Charlottesville City Code and will be charged accordingly."

The City of Charlottesville extended Occupy Charlottesville's permit Tuesday, to legally protest in Lee Park as members of the movement have decided where to occupy next.

The group's special events permit was set to expire Tuesday night but the City extended it for 24 hours. Protesters have until 11 p.m. Wednesday to vacate Lee Park.

A small group of protesters say they are willing to get arrested and plan to stay in Lee Park after the deadline.

Other protesters say after the permit expires they plan to occupy the George Rogers Clark Statue near University of Virginia Grounds. If they are forced to leave, occupiers members say they will move to Charlottesville's Freedom of Speech Wall and "occupy" the Downtown Mall.