BOISE, Id – The Idaho Senate voted today to evict Occupy Boise from the Capital Mall. That means the protest group is one step closer to being evicted from their campsite.
The bill would outlaw camping on state-owned property unless otherwise designated. Occupy Boise members have been sleeping in tents next door to the Idaho Statehouse since November. Speaking for the bill, Republican Senator Steve Vick said free speech is a constitutionally protected right, but camping is not.
Steve Vick “In my view, the Capitol Mall is kind of like our front yard for the state of Idaho. And you don’t let people stay forever in your front yard. I think what this bill is not about is who is camping, but whether this is an appropriate place for camping.”
Democrat Nicole LeFavour countered Vick, saying the bill attempts to silence people and remove them from sight.
Nicole LeFavour “The grounds we’re speaking of are actually not our front yard, they are the front yard of the people of Idaho and I think it’s important to look through history that people have encamped on state grounds, including on our Capitol steps at times to seek redress to all of us on very different issues.”
All Senate Democrats voted against the bill, along with two Republicans. It has already passed in the House, but Senators amended the bill slightly. That means it will return to the House for another vote.
Copyright 2012 BSPR
