Seattle Central Community College yesterday posted notice around its campus that Occupy Seattle, or anyone camping on its property, must remove tents and other property from the campus grounds or be charged with trespassing.
Roughly 24 hours later, nothing appears to have changed at the encampment ... except for protesters stringing up Christmas lights in campus trees.
A trespassing notice was posted around the school informing that all unclaimed property will be cleaned up and thrown away 72 hours after the notice was sent around, said Judy Kitzman, a spokesperson for the college.
It's still up to the Occupy Seattle protestors to figure out what they will do next.
"We continue to hope for a peaceful resolution and an orderly evacuation from the camp," Kitzman said.
Judge sides with college
Last week, a Thurston County Superior Court judge said the college has the legal right to evict Occupy protesters. The judge ruled that the demonstrators had a right to protest, but not to camp there.
However, close to 100 campers have been occupying the South Plaza at Seattle Central since Oct. 29, the college said in a press release this afternoon. Since that date, college leadership has been meeting regularly with representatives of Occupy Seattle over ongoing concerns about health and safety at the encampment.
Starting today, the release said, staff from Seattle Central will be distributing trespass notices, talking with campers and telling them they need to move from the campus.
Background
The protesters moved from Seattle's Westlake Park to the campus in the city's Capitol Hill neighborhood more than a month ago.
In late November, college trustees adopted an emergency rule banning camping, a move aimed at evicting the protesters. College administrators say there have been reports of vandalism and they can't afford to pay for the extra security and additional cleaning crews.
