State Officials Turn Off Power To Occupy Nashville - @NESpower @OccupyNashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - State officials have turned off the power to Occupy Nashville, saying they were posing a safety hazard.

Protesters were using a single outlet on Legislative Plaza to power their camp.

Officials said the outlet was overloaded and melted. Fire officials were concerned about safety so they turned the outlet off.

"The wiring was corroded, probably should have been changed out two, three years ago," said protester and former Army electrician Albert Rankin.

Occupy Nashville has responded by bringing in generators, and asking for donated car and marine batteries. They said they also plan to bring in a solar powered generator.

Protesters said they are also willing to hire an electrician to re-wire the outlet to make it safe. However, the outlet has been padlocked.

The group is planning to plug into the state Christmas display.

"Every hurdle they throw at us is something else to smash through and keep going," Rankin added.

Occupy Nashville moved into Legislative Plaza in October. Since state troopers raided the encampment on the plaza across the street from the Capitol on Oct. 28 and 29 and made 55 arrests, the state has had to back down. Haslam ordered the charges dropped when Nashville courts refused to jail the protesters, and the state isn't fighting a federal court order that found the raids had violated the First Amendment rights of the protesters.

Two days later, the protesters saw another victory when they went to federal court seeking a temporary restraining order that allowed them to stay until another court date.

Occupy Nashville has reoccupied the plaza, the number of tents has almost doubled to about 60, portable toilets have been installed and troopers walk a patrol. The protesters, who are now among the larger remaining groups nationwide, say they plan to stay through the winter

via newschannel5.com

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