Occupy Nashville Costs Adding Up
Tennessee General Services Commissioner Steven Cates says the presence of Occupy Nashville protesters on the Legislative Plaza near the state Capitol has been costly.
Cates spoke to reporters following a budget hearing for his department on Friday. He said there are areas of the plaza that have required pressure washing because of a lack of sanitation facilities.
Republican Gov. Bill Haslam has said part of the reason for a curfew and protester arrests was because of unsanitary conditions. A federal judge has since issued a restraining order against the curfew, and at least two donated portable toilets have been placed near the plaza.
Cates didn’t address the arrests because of litigation. He said the protesters’ occupancy of the plaza for nearly a month has cost the state “thousands” of dollars.
