Did North Carolina Town Give a Special Rent Break to ‘Occupy’ Protest?
- Posted on October 18, 2011 at 6:17am by
Christopher Santarelli
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As the “Occupy” movement goes international and spreads to more and more cities, local governments have been forced to commit increased resources to the protest’s demands. Despite chanting “The banks got bailed out, we got sold out,“ the ”Occupy Greensboro” group had no issue orchestrating an alleged behind-closed-doors discount for renting Festival Park from the Greensboro city government for their protest Saturday. An alleged discount, that other political organizations in the area are furious about.
Jodi Riddlederger, co-founder of Conservatives for Guilford County, told the Blaze Monday that city administrators in Greensboro were hostile towards her group, and “would not budge” with a $700 per day rental fee when the group attempted to host a Restoring Courage event in Greensboro last month at the same park that was “occupied” Saturday.
“The city didn’t work with us at all,” said Riddleberger. “We had to move (the event) to a different city an hour-and-a-half away.”
Because of this, Riddleberger was not pleased to see the event Saturday where she said the city “bent over backwards for this group,” and was even more frustrated when finding out about the sweet deal Occupy Greensboro negotiated for renting the space.
Conservatives for Guilford County interviewed Greensboro Assistant City Manager Michael Speedling about the discount at the “Occupy” event Saturday, this is what he had to say:
As you hear in the video, Speedling admits that the city gave Occupy Greensboro a $500 discount for renting the space for their protest Saturday. Speedling explains the reasoning behind this came after “negotiating” with the group in regards to renting space during the very busy North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University homecoming weekend.
Giving Occupy Greensboro the discount was a public safety issue according to Speedling, and needed in order to provide a safe environment for Greensboro citizens. Speedling did not return multiple calls from the Blaze Monday to explain the negotiations or logistics behind the event.
Riddleberger says the discount will not go unnoticed, and her group’s event coordinator has already contacted the city to tell administrators that they expect the same treatment as Occupy groups “here on out.”
“Fair is fair,” said Riddleberger. Referencing Occupy rhetoric, Riddleberger said ”Looks like Mr. Speedling might not understand the term ‘economic justice’ either.”
Occupy Greensboro marched Saturday from Government Plaza to Festival Park, attracting a crowd of about 600, according to the Greensboro News & Record.
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Comments (72)
bragsdale
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 9:10am@Tea4Me, thanks for MR. Speedlings email address michael.speedling@greensboro-nc.gov . Just sent Mr. Speedling my thoughts. We Americans need to start standing up to people like this. They need to start fearing for their jobs!
Report Post »HKS
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 8:49amSounds like discrimination to me, do what they would do, file a lawsuit make it a daily talking point and pursue it to the Supreme Court. Ask for billions in damages, it shouldn’t take much of a lawyer to win that one. Once the lawsuit is filed get national support and make it rally point. That could be the rally cry in 2012, “No more crone discrimination” Get the democrats painted with the Crone brush. Every situation presents an opportunity if you look for it, and it doesn’t matter if you win the suit, the journey and publicity will make it worth the effort.
Report Post »lillymckim
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 9:32amAnd Soros has ordered Obama to pick up the tab for the Protestors who STILL Occupy Space at Zuccotti Park in NYC … so this sounds about right… grab the kids its puppet time!
Report Post »mad_hatter
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 11:08amThe city may put up with these children’s demands in Greensboro/Chicago but I say more power to Bank of America who is denying closing accounts for people coming in the bank with signs and yelling and holding signs. If they don’t want to leave then arrest them. ( http://www.americanparchment.com/video/2011/oct/ows_boa_accounts.html )
If they want to come in like civilized people then do business with them, but you can’t try to bully the banks…
Then again there is the the fact that it is your money… well someone has to stand up against them.
Report Post »jb.kibs
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 1:09pmanyone live around there and isn’t an occupier?
Report Post »you could say you are and rent out all the rooms… ;)
woodyb
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 2:32pm@ MAD_HATTER –
Report Post »My question is: How many of those “customers’ can supply an account number?????????????
Anyone can CLAIM to be a customer, but how many of them actually have done business at that bank???
ZengaPA65
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 5:47pmRight on HKS, exactly.
Report Post »Secret Squirrel
Posted on October 19, 2011 at 6:41pm.
Report Post »I hope they trashed the place.
paleoman
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 8:37amThe commies from Calf. started moving to N.C. years ago & brought their west coast crap with them.
Report Post »TXPilot
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 8:46amThis serves to illustrate the absolute morons we have in government now. First they allow a park to be rented by smelly hippies, that will trash the area, become violent and require lots of police and generally cause the city to have to spend millions they don’t have. And after all this, they are gonna give the hippies a discount……..I’m starting to thing theres a prerequisite for holding public office that says you must be retarded to qualify.
Report Post »goofyfoot2001
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 9:55amPALEOMAN – Exactly right. I call it North California. Charlotte is already hopelessly lost and going down the tubes and everyone there wonders why. The schools have become battlegrounds and anyone that can send their kids to private schools is doing so. They are moving just across the state line to South Carolina in droves. Oh and no car inspections in South Carolina! IT”S GREEEEAAT! The catalytic converter on my Jeep rattles around like a maraca :-)
Report Post »smudgercat17
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:11pmGoofyfoot…That’s true what you say about Charlotte, but for the love of God, PLEASE don’t lump Greensboro with Charlotte! We ain’t that bad yet!
Report Post »Ooh-rah
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 8:30amPrepare for violence. It is the only thing left to do to keep the protest going. Some poor turd(s) must be sacrificed for the good of all. I suspect a staged event. The culprit of course will be a TEA PARTY member. The media will go nuts and the mob mentality sets in. This will dwarf the riots of the past. It will be an epic struggle between the haves and the have nots. This will be obama’s envision of true class warfare. People actually dying for redistribution of wealth. For this jerk it can’t get any better.
Report Post »Civil war all over again. Oh, and by the way, the elections are suspended.
mammac5
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 8:25amSo, if the “negotiations” had to be done in the interest of public safety for the citizens of Greensboro, does that imply that the Occupy folks were threatening the good people of G’boro? Did the local government give in because they are unprepared to provide safety for their residents? I don‘t live in G’boro but if I did, I’d have plenty of questions about what sort(s) of threats to public safety were threatened.
Report Post »smudgercat17
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:09pmI call Greensboro home. From everything I have seen, the A&T Homecoming posed no additional strain on the peace last weekend, and the “Occupy whatever” wouldn’t have added to it anyway…just weren’t enough people in that part of town on a Saturday. My best guess is that the Council wanted to avoid ugliness if they DIDN’T give the discount (I’m surprised that they charged them anything!). There are members of the city and county government that would definitely embrace this “movement” in our town, regardless of the cost of the cleanup or the inconvenience to the public or whatever. The local gov is a mess!
Report Post »J C Williams
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 8:24amAs a resident of Greensboro I was embarrassed to find out the Occupy… movement was given such a substantial discount. Listening to Mr. Speeding explain the reasons for the discount was almost a laughing experience. I hope he realizes that the city has opened up a Pandora’s box with the political organizations in this town. The conservative groups from here on out are going to rightfully demand the same accommodating service from the city as shown to a bunch of protesters that contain people who wish to overthrow the capitalist system in favor of more misery. Good going Mr. Speeding. Thank you for favoring “useful idiots” over the productive groups that are working to bring common sense back to government.
Report Post »SpankDaMonkey
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 8:17am.
Report Post »The handicap always get a deal………………
hempstead1944
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 8:17amJust one more reason to get the hell out of Greensboro, NC ……
Report Post »BondServant
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 9:10amGet out of Greensboro, build a wall around a nice little Agenda 21 secured area, place an electrified fence ( not joking like the next POTUS Herman Cain did with his comment ) with razor wire around the compound and return all who get past the electrified fence… attempting to infest the rest of our God fearing country.
Report Post »rambosharley
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 8:14amWell,well,well isn’t that rich. The commies are everywhere! I would love to comment more, however It’s time to go to work and pay my “FAIR SHARE” in taxes to all the commies in our government!
Report Post »mikenleeds
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 8:13ammore of our tax payers going to the welfare whores
Report Post »reasonablysane
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 8:02amI have planned on retiring to North Carolina since I was 17 years old (some 41 years ago), with the election of Totalitarian Bev and this last asinine move by local officials I guess I’m going to fall back to plan “b”. Darned depressed about that but after living in the People‘s Democratic Republic of Iowa for 40 years I can’t see “enjoying the hopefully few last years of my life living under another tyranny…
Report Post »smudgercat17
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 4:14pmFear not, Bev will be long gone next year! NC is still a great place to retire to……most of it anyway!
Report Post »westfayetteville
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 8:02amI don’t know for sure, but I’ll bet they had a mess to clean up afterwards, where thr Tea party event would have cleaned up after them self.
Report Post »mikee1
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 7:48amA lot of Northern, liberal dummycraps down in NC. They take their GOV. PENSIONS (sometimes more than 1) and move to low-rent areas, like NC. Remember, NC voted for ODUMBO in 2008. I think it was the only Southern state that did so. That means NORTHERN DUMMYCRAPS LIVE THERE OR VOTE TWICE, ONCE IN NY, ONCE IN NC. LOL.
Report Post »TEA4Me
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 8:06amEveryone send this idiot Speedling a short note of disapproval. Doesn’t have to be anything long. Take you 10 seconds. We have got to start being as loud as these idiot protestors if we are going to be heard… below is his email address… Let’s shut down their server with e-mail for this guy!
michael.speedling@greensboro-nc.gov
And yeah, looks like a northern transplant (DC/MD area) who worked for the EPA for 4 yrs…
Report Post »AsIWept
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 1:54pmTea4me…I took your advise and sent an email to this s
Report Post »kickagrandma
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 7:37amI am so ashamed of North Carolina!
Conservatives and CHRISTIANS, wake up, dress up and show up!!!
Write, call, go in person. Let these people know that favoring satan over GOD is a dead end, literally, and GOD IS PAYING ATTENTION. There are NO excuses for staying quiet any longer.
I will be calling the governor’s office today. I will be contacting the people mentioned in this story today. Enough is enough!
“Fret not thyself because of evildoers…Trust in the Lord, and do good…Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Psalm 37:1-4
RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS COMING ATCHA! GOD BLESS in JESUS’ PRECIOUS AND MIGHTY NAME, amen.
Report Post »pwatkins
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 10:50amI am one from NC that you guys can depend on. I’ve been trying to tell everyone on here our sweet Gov. Purdue is as bad as Obama. She is one of the same and if you take a look at her record you will see she has about as many scandals following her, but just as Obama they have been pushed under the rug. Our previous governor, a democrat has been under constant investigations too and of course we are the home of John Edwards…..NC political figures are loaded with progressive ammunition. There are many of us that plan to clean house in 2012 though, so continue to pray for us…many of us are God-fearing American loving citizens. I believe ACORN elected Purdue and Obama in 2008 in NC. People have been arrested recently for voting twice in 2008. God Bless America!
Report Post »LCid
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 7:37amNever underestimate the stupidity, bias and incompetence of local NC politicians. Trust me, I know. When you’ve got Bev “suspend elections” Perdue at the top, you know things are bad everywhere.
Report Post »RichNGadsden
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 7:47amI agree with you on that. You guys have got to send Perdue packing. I spent almost four years at Ft Bragg, and I love North Carolina as much as I love my home state. Hate to see idiotic things like this happening there. We have share of Bozo politicians here too. Shoot, sorry to disparage Bozo like that.
Report Post »jackbauer
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 8:46amUnfortunately sending Purdue packing is not so easy. She has all the, Dem’s down east, votes locked up. NC’s rural east has been bought and paid for by Dem politicians for years. They get their money for roads, bridges and who knows what else. I’ve been on bridges down there that are over a mile long and get about 1-10 cars an hour. The down east vote and northern transplants is how we got Sen. Hagen. Here in Charlotte we went for years with burned out street lights on our major highways. They rarely maintain the state roads within the city and we continue to wait for a completed loop around Charlotte. Charlotte is so big that the loop will be 67miles long. We may just be the largest city in the US without a loop.
Report Post »KelleyRV
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 9:07amWe moved to Greensboro back in 2007, and it has been educational to say the least. You can count on me and my husband to do our part to boot Bev OUT of the governor’s mansion in Raleigh!!
Report Post »RichNGadsden
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 7:35amSounds to me that Mr Speedling should be held accountable for every dime of expense over the $200.00 dollars they were charged in rent to cover clean up and repairs to the park. You just gotta know these dirt bags will trash the place.
Report Post »garbagecanlogic
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 7:35amThe same old story: Screw the taxpayer, so the liberals can give it to the non-producers.
The U.S. Out Of The U.N.
Report Post »The U.N. Out Of The U.S.
Escapee1
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 8:22amAmen!
Report Post »slwrig2
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 7:34amThey shouldn’t have got any deal, in fact they shuld be charged more due to the destruction caused by their COMMRADS in protest around the counrty and the world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Report Post »65Mustang
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 7:21amI have no respect for any business or organization that would support the very people that are nothing but uneducated idiots that were taught by biased, uneducated teachers. Hopefully the “protesters” will destroy their city the way they have destroyed everything they touch.
Report Post »Darla_K
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 7:20amThese protesters have let us know what it is they are mad about. It is now time for them to go back home and get a grip and figure out what life is all about. Alot of these people are young, making a statement wanting to show boat for the press. The mess they are leaving behind and the rhetric is not worth it. Get a life.
Report Post »jedi.kep
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 7:15amAnd these Occupy people will trash their city to say “Thank you.” It will serve Greensboro right for being so unfair.
Report Post »smithclar3nc3
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 7:23amSounds to me like the conservative group should sue for discrimination as they were treated differently than the liberal group. More over which group do you think actually pays more taxes thus supports the city.
Report Post »SpankDaMonkey
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 6:50am.
Report Post »C’mon it was a city discount for Idiots amd Morons………..
EO_Seabee
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 6:48amI think this group got the “Not for profit” rate…. Have you seen the anti-capitalism that exudes from these protesters?
Report Post »coindexter
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 6:33amcome on folks…all the protesters could muster up was a couple hundred bucks. have a heart.
Report Post »RepubliCorp
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 6:58amYou sound like Perry……….
Report Post »LCid
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 7:33amAnd that’s not a compliment…
Report Post »pscully17
Posted on October 18, 2011 at 6:32amand the destruction goes on… why the hell are soooo many city and town councils sooo eager to collapse the sytem? why? what is the alternaive sytem? and who will benefit from it? hmmm let me guess: The Political class will gain power and wealth, and denegrate the citizenry into slavery, kill their liberties, religion and oppress the Holy Crap out of us…, yeah, thats the sytem I want!!
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