Seattle college can evict protesters, judge rules
Occupy spokesman says group will continue to gather
SEATTLE – Occupy Seattle protesters say they’re looking for a new base – possibly an abandoned warehouse – after a judge ruled Friday that Seattle Central Community College can evict them from the campus.
The Thurston County Superior Court judge denied a protester’s request for an injunction that would have allowed the demonstrators to continue camping there.
“I’m disappointed but I’m not surprised,” said Mark Taylor-Canfield, a spokesman for Occupy Seattle. “It’s happened at every occupation around the country.”
The protesters moved from Seattle’s Westlake Park to the campus in the city’s Capitol Hill neighborhood more than a month ago.
In late November, college trustees adopted an emergency rule banning camping, a move aimed at evicting the protesters. College administrators said there have been reports of vandalism and they can’t afford to pay for extra security. They also cited health and safety issues, including garbage accumulation, improper food handling, and disposal of human and animal waste.
Seattle Central said in a written statement that administrators would post its new emergency rule banning camping early next week and let the protesters know they need to leave.
Taylor-Canfield said Occupy Seattle had already endorsed looking into other options for a permanent base, including the possibility of taking over an abandoned warehouse that could provide shelter for 100 people, or using donated money to lease a space. Occupy Seattle will also continue to maintain at least an informational tent at Westlake Center, he said, and hold occasional demonstrations there.
“It’s not going to stop the movement at all,” he said.