Personal account from Occupy Dallas camp: “Now, I get it” from Pegasus News

DALLAS — An astute and intuitive friend, Justin Nygren, teased me with the prospect of personally visiting the Occupy Dallas encampment in order to perhaps get to some truth about it all. Presumably, this was to either verify or cut through some of the clearly dubious, de-personalized, media-hyped rhetoric these folks were being branded with. Putting real faces with real names on a situation like this could be enlightening. So I spent a few days talking with people at Occupy Dallas.
However, I still remained conflicted. My heart identified with the real life stories unfolding and the tangled frustrations people have when they feel they been marginalized to the point of having almost no control regarding some powerfully negative factors which are shaping their lives. However, my head insists on taking the more logical approach to it all, attempting to evaluate the reasoning, purpose, and net effect of this well-intentioned, yet outwardly confusing group.

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Clock ticking on Occupy Dallas encampment

DALLAS — For 40 days, we've watched them camp behind City Hall.

Occupy Dallas protesters have grown in numbers as tension built with police. Last week, city officials told them to clean up their act or lose their campsite.

A judge allowed them to stay through the weekend, but Occupy's time could be running out.

At a hearing Tuesday morning, the group hopes to secure a restraining order to keep the city from kicking them out. As the demonstrators conduct goes back to court, there's impatience at their camp and inside City Hall.

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Will Occupy Dallas Stay at City Hall? Will Its Case Be Heard in Federal Court? Who Knows!

​Right now we were supposed to be at the Earle Cabell for a federal hearing over Occupy Dallas's camp-out behind Dallas City Hall. Alas, that was not meant to be: Friday's agreement, which said the Occupiers could occupy City Hall's bathrooms and kept the city from making good on its threat to fold the tents come 5 p.m. last Saturday, was extended for another 24 hours, meaning campers can sleep soundly on City Hall property for at least tonight.

But there's yet another catch, which could mean this case will drag on longer than a quick hearing tomorrow morning, kick-off scheduled for 9. First Assistant City Attorney Chris Bowers and Occupy Dallas attorney Jonathan Winocour explain.
"The issue is whether the plaintiffs have a claim under federal law," Bowers tells Unfair Park. Which is why, according to protocol, the first order of business tomorrow morning will be determining whether federal court even has jurisdiction over the case. This, after the city moved the case to federal court Friday afternoon in response to amended petition by Occupy Dallas which alleged First and Fourteenth Amendment rights violations. Got that?

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Voters ...

‘Occupy Dallas’ Fighting To Stay At Campsite

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Protesters from the ‘Occupy Dallas’ camp are taking their case to court on Monday. After city officials threatened to force them out of downtown Dallas last week, protesters filed a temporary restraining order. This allowed the group to stay at the campsite.
The protest group is now fighting in court in order to continue living at their camp – where they have been for about five weeks. Their first campsite was located in Pioneer Park and they have since moved to Dallas City Hall.
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