I’m sure by this time none of us find ourselves unfamiliar with the “Occupy” movement. Starting on Wall Street in New York City, the movement exists to protest against social inequality. Phrases such as “I am the 99 percent” run rampant, continuing the argument that the many suffer while the few prosper.

Throughout the year, the movement has spread across the country, growing and gaining momentum as it moves. As many of us may have noticed, the group has arrived in Madison. They are currently located on East Washington Avenue, where they have set up camp, becoming a home to many of the city’s homeless population. Although they have lived there for the past several months, protesters had agreed to be out by April 30 when they first created their “tent city.” While that day has come and gone, the protesters remain, asking for an extension to prolong their stay.

The protesters who have set up camp on East Washington are asking the Dane County Circuit Court for a restraining order from the city in an attempt to save themselves from being evicted from their current campsite and home. The American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin has stated that the protesters, as a part of the larger Occupy movement, have complied with their agreement to maintain peaceful protests from their current location. As such, the ACLU argues the people there are simply maintaining their First Amendment rights and have every right to remain where they are throughout the duration of their protest. As stated in both the U.S. Constitution as well as the state constitution, citizens are given the right to peacefully assemble, as well as freedom of speech and the press.

Nevertheless, the City Council voted April 17 to close down the campsite. Protesters press on, arguing their lawsuit is a request to continue to protest, sleep and meet at their current location. Plaintiffs also state that closing down the camp will displace the city’s homeless, leaving them without a place to live and keep their belongings.

A safe haven for the homeless is an issue entirely separate from the member of Occupy Madison and should not exist as part of the argument to keep the protesters’ safe haven in existence. Any student or visitor at UW that frequents State Street can agree there is no shortage of homeless people on the street as well as throughout the city. And while their presence is relatively harmless, it remains a responsibility of the city of Madison to become accountable for these people and provide a safe place for them to stay as well as programs in which they can begin to be reintroduced as working members of society.

While the Occupy Madison movement may be fighting for social equality, unless the homeless are active members of the protest, it is not the responsibility of the city to extend the stay of the protesters on East Washington Avenue so as to lengthen the temporary solution the homeless have found for their lack of shelter. If the city opts to lengthen the stay of the protestors, it should be solely to support the First Amendment rights of the protestors. While the protest site may offer a home to the homeless, it is only temporary, and it is time that we as students and citizens step up to help them find a more permanent shelter.

Christin Wiegand ([email protected]) is a sophomore with an undecided major.