Erin McArdle discusses her choices to fight her arrest back in March and defend our 1st Amendment rights on Public Square:

“What’s most important is that we meet that threat with Peace.”

Cleveland Public Square Curfew Ordinance

Declared Unconstitutional

 Occupy Cleveland members WIN the right of citizens to “freely assemble, communicate thoughts, and discuss questions” in public space guaranteeing their 1st Amendment rights.

Ohio State Court of Appeals Reverses Arrests of October 21, 2011

Erin McCardle and Leatrice Tolls were the two last remaining of the 11 arrested on October 21, 2011 in the Tom Johnson Quadrant of Public Square in downtown Cleveland who took their case for appeal to the State of Ohio. Their separate judgments were consolidated in a test of the 1st Amendment rights of Ohio citizens in public spaces. What follows below is a tour de force opinion to sweep away an ill thought out city ordinance designed to keep the quadrant free of homeless and undesirables for the “safety and cleanliness” of the square ( and in the process allow the city to reserve an unconstitutional right to arrest citizens expressing inconvenient speech past 10pm ):

General Assemblies are  being held on an ad hoc basis.

Check the Events page for future GA’s as they are planned.
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Occupy Cleveland models and promotes participatory democracy, allowing every person’s voice to be heard, and giving every powerful and just idea its chance to transform our community and change the world.

Occupy Cleveland is committed to truth, accountability, transparency and participation within all power structures.  We are committed to social, environmental and economic justice for all.  We operate within a culture of compassion, in which we support and uplift one another regardless of personal circumstances.  We stand with all those who are suffering, or have loved ones suffering, under the current global and economic situation. As we move forward into 2013 and look forward to a new year we hope to reboot the movement with a fresh approach to non-violence and accountability to community.

Contact us if you’d like to join us in reshaping Occupy Cleveland into a successful, strategic movement with non-violence at its core here in Northeast Ohio.

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