Mayor candidates split on Occupy Portland

Portland Tribune:

The three major candidates for Portland mayor are split on whether the city needs to close the Occupy Portland protest camp near City Hall....

Former City Commissioner Charlie Hales says Mayor Sam Adams should give protesters two or three days to leave the parks they have occupied for almost three weeks...

New Seasons co-founder Eileen Brady and state Rep. Jefferson Smith both say the city should talk to protesters about closing the camps in the near future...

“Civil disobedience means you break the law to make a point. The protesters have broken the city’s anti-camping ordinance to make their point. People have heard them. Now’s the time to move on,” says Brady.

But State Rep. Jefferson Smith is willing to see the camp remain, provided occupants comply with "benchmarks" set by the city, such as committing no crimes that are not related to the protest, such as acts of civil disobedience.

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