County emails outrage Occupy Eureka; D.A. says tents posed safety risk
County emails outrage Occupy Eureka; D.A. says tents posed safety risk
Members of Occupy Eureka are outraged over a series of emails they say sparked an “unlawful government conspiracy to vilify and suppress” the demonstration, while District Attorney Paul Gallegos said he had no intention of raising alarm about the group and was simply concerned about public safety.
Members of the movement used a California Public Records Act request to obtain emails they called “nefarious” that detailed Gallegos' suggestions to Eureka and county officials that tents be taken down from the courthouse lawn. The emails were part of the discussion that led to police action against the Occupy Eureka encampment on the Humboldt County Courthouse lawn.
In a Nov. 2 email to county officials, Gallegos wrote, “I believe the continued presence of tents outside of the courthouse presents a profound public safety risk.”
In the same email Gallegos wrote, “While I do not suspect that any of those tents contain any explosive or otherwise dangerous materials, I cannot confirm that they do or do not and I do not believe that we can allow the risk of such an occurrence to continue.”
http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_19726594