Occupy Missoula Staying Put, At Least For Now

Occupy Missoula protesters have told the county they need more time to decide whether to submit to a request to pack up their tents and leave the courthouse lawn after a two-month stay.

In a letter to county commissioners, the protest group's general assembly said it failed to reach a consensus on how to respond to the request and will try again Tuesday.

County officials say they support the group's right to assemble and air grievances, but the 24/7 camp puts county staff in the position of having to clean up after protesters, and the movement is drawing an "inappropriate" amount of public resources from the county.

Commission spokeswoman Anne Hughes said Monday "we look forward to receiving more information from the camp after their general assembly meeting on Tuesday."

Associated Press