City Manager denies request to stay overnight at park near City Hall | News

WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) - A teenager who identifies himself as part of the
Occupy Wilmington movement was arrested early Monday after an argument with
police.

According to a public report, officers spotted about a
dozen people with the Occupy movement sleeping in Innis Park and sitting
on park benches in the 300 block of Princess Street. The park was closed
at the time.

The officers told the group to leave the park and move
to the picket line in the 100 block of North Third Street. All of the
people moved after the second notice, except a 16-year-old boy.

Shelby Reid Lentz questioned the city ordinance and
the reason he had to move with police.

He was charged with violating the city ordinance and
released to the custody of his grandmother on a $500 unsecured bond.

City Manager Sterling Cheatham denied a request from an Occupy Wilmington
participant for the overnight use of park space adjacent to City Hall.

[Read the letter from the city manager (PDF)]

According to Cheatham, the City has "a substantial interest in maintaining
the park area in question in a healthy, safe, attractive and intact condition,
readily available to all citizens."  He
said for those reasons he has "never granted permission for sleeping, camping
or any other overnight uses in city parks."

Cheatham said the denial is not aimed to suppress communication or restrict
speech, but to maintain and preserve the park area.

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