Notice of Continued Unconstitutional Conduct

 In this letter directed to the Tucson City Attorney on June 19, 2015, John Cooper of Occupy Public Land continues to defend the right of homeless people to sleep on the sidewalk downtown and continues to call the city to task for depriving the economically disenfranchised of their constitutional rights. For a summary of the …

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Tucson Merchants’ Demand is Unconstitutional

photograph of John Cooper speaking at Homelessness forum

Read John Cooper’s full letter to Tucson’s Mayor and Council—Ed The very purpose of a Bill of Rights was to withdraw certain subjects from the vicissitudes of political controversy, to place them beyond the reach of majorities and officials and to establish them as legal principles to be applied by the courts. One’s right to …

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What Does a Homeless Protest Look Like?

Photo of sleeping pods at Safe Park on Church Ave (looking towards Broadway Blvd) taken 2/8/15

In a confused approach toward the homeless, Arizona Daily Star columnist Tim Steller’s recent articles capture some of our collective cultural ambivalence. On the one hand, Steller has tried to wake people up about our society’s neglect of the homeless. Last November, he wrote of his unease when voting for a proposition that would raise …

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Activist Schools Policemen on Court Order; Officer Listens

photograph of John Cooper speaking at Homelessness forum

This is how we like to see a confrontation with the police go down. On December 29, 2014, Occupy Public Land activist John Cooper engaged police officers outside of Veinte de Agosto Park in a conversation. The police were attempting to arrest people for being within ten feet of a Tucson bus bench, but Cooper …

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Holding Cars for Ransom

Sign in Tucson marking a "Tow Away Zone" and "Restricted Parking"

Towing companies are criminally holding vehicles for ransom.1 In violation of Arizona Statutes, they are doing this repeatedly and with impunity. Towing truck companies can tow your car and charge you a fee, but they are breaking the law when they hold your car until you pay up. People who don’t know their rights could …

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