Occupy Maine Loses in Court

In his decision, Justice Thomas Warren said the city’s restrictions on overnight camping in city parks are not an unreasonable infringement of free speech, but are intended to protect health and safety while also ensuring the public resource is not damaged. Allowing Occupy Maine to camp in the park also could prevent others from using it, infringing on their rights.
The demonstrators failed to show that “in order to communicate their message, they are entitled to commandeer a public forum for an extended period in a 24-hour encampment that necessarily excludes other citizens from their customary use of the park,” Warren wrote in his 25-page decision. - The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram