Cities around the country could take a page or two out of the city of Dallas' playbook in terms of working with the Occupy Wall Street protestors. The local protest, Occupy Dallas, and the city leaders came to an agreement on where to stay prior to a court that was set for Friday, October 21.Local attorney Cameron Gray, who has offered his services pro bono to the group, told reporters that two issues were of major concern for both parties involved. He said, "There are two real issues or forces that need to be balanced together. One of them is the right of the city government to take care of its park, and the other is the First Amendment rights of the protesters to be able to express their grievances, to assemble peacefully and address their grievances to the government."
The right of the government to take care of its space, balanced with the right of the people to gather to protest. Sounds reasonable, right? In New York, Boston and now Rome, police and protestors have come to blows, mostly due to the police making the first swipes with their night sticks. Arrests have been made wholesale, people have been maced, and even news reporters have been victims of police brutality. All this over the question of whether the people have a right to gather in various spaces. But in Dallas, no arrests have been made so far, and no violence has broken out. And, city is letting them stay -- just not in Pioneer Plaza.
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