







Starting Friday night, Boulder’s parks will be off limits to encampments and loiterers overnight.

City Manager Jane Brautigam signed the new rule Thursday afternoon closing all city-owned parks from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.

The city plans to post signs warning people about the new rule Friday morning.

But at least some members of the Occupy Boulder movement said they plan to hold their ground with a “dance party” Friday night, setting the stage for a possible confrontation with police.

The text of the final rule — now listed under the city code as rule 8-3-3.g(11) — prohibits people from loitering or camping overnight in city parks, parkways or recreation areas. It includes a specific exemption for pedestrians and bicyclists “passing through without delay.”

The rule goes on to say that any personal property found in a closed area may be considered “abandoned property and may be removed and disposed of by the city.”

The City Council late Tuesday night directed Brautigam to enact the new rule, agreeing with her that the Occupy Boulder encampment outside the Municipal Building at 1777 Broadway has generated health and safety concerns.

City officials also said that enforcing the city’s existing law against camping in public places overnight isn’t effective against the campers, as officials say they have developed a system of waking one another when police come by.

Anyone caught violating the new rule may be ticketed for trespassing under municipal or state law. A municipal offense carries a maximum fine of up to $1,000 and up to 90 days in jail. A charge under state law is a class-one petty offense that carries a maximum fine of $500 and up to six months in jail.

The news was met with resistance on Thursday.

“I’m not defending the tents or saying whether there should or shouldn’t be a homeless encampment, but any rule that curtails our freedom to assemble and our free speech is infringing on our rights,” said Occupy Boulder protester Lee Buchsbaum. “This rule is symbolic of the greater problem across the country.”

Buchsbaum said protesters from Occupy groups around the state are coming into town to support the Occupy Boulder movement.

“We’re gonna be ready,” Buchsbaum said.

He also said the group was planning several events in response to the rule, including a mock funeral for the Bill of Rights next weekend, and a “dance party” at 11:01 p.m. Friday in protest of the new rule.

Sarah Huntley, a spokeswoman for the city, declined to say whether dancing would qualify as an exempted activity.

“The city will be relying upon the police department and its officers to use their discretion about what conduct represents a violation,” she said. “We’re certainly hopeful that individuals will work with us on this issue.”

An e-mail circulated among the Occupy group Thursday encouraged protesters to commit to nonviolence.

“Surround aggressive actors with love and compassion,” the e-mail reads. “No fires. No throwing things at cops. You know how important this is.”