City Says Occupy Camp Needs To Clean Up—Or Else (Updated)

Portland City Hall is taking steps that will likely accelerate a confrontation with the Occupy Portland camp one block away. ---

Yesterday, the Bureau of Development Services, which is responsible for building code enforcement and answers to Commissioner Dan Saltzman, sent a notice of code violations to Portland Parks & Recreation, which is responsible for maintaining the land on which Occupy Portland sits, and answers to Commissioner Nick Fish.

The BDS notice said Parks could correct the electrical, structural and sanitary violations at Chapman and Lownsdale Squares one of two ways: Either it could "cease and discontinue" the Occupy Portland camp, or the bureau could apply for permits to allow the occupation to go on.

Today, the city's new Parks Director, Mike Abbaté, replied by letter to BDS: The Parks bureau will not be seek permits to allow Occupy Portland to continue, Abbaté wrote—no surprise given that Mayor Sam Adams has called the camp illegal, and that Commissioner FIsh recently decided to cut off Parks services to the camp.

However, Abbaté said, his bureau will forward the violations notice to "Occupy Portland leadership, asking them to take prompt action to correct the violations."

"If Occupy Portland fails to take corrective action," Abbaté's letter goes on, the Parks bureau "will seek guidance from the Mayor and Council."

It's unusual for one city bureau to issue a citation to another, but this needless to say is an unusual set of circumstances. Copies of the correspondence between BDS and Parks are reproduced below.

Keep checking back for more details.

Update 2:45 pm: Also today, Abbaté emailed the following letter to Occupy Portland's City Hall and Police liaisons, according to Fish's office. "Please move to correct these violations," says the letter, addressed to "Occupy Portland Participants."

Parks letter to Occupiers

Parks letter to BDS

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