AUSTIN -- Keeping the steps of City Hall clean is becoming a sore subject between the City of Austin and Occupy Austin protesters.
"Do we really need to do the power washing three times a week out here when things are basically kept up?" said Occupy Austin Food Management Coordinator Brian Harris.
"The current schedule has been arranged with input from Occupy Austin and has been adjusted at their request," countered City of Austin Manager of Media Relations Reyne Telles.
Crews clean the area between 10:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays -- a time when business hours are over, foot traffic is down, and when Occupy demonstrations have turned in for the night. But the protesters complain they have to wake up, pack up their belongings, and move for the cleaning, then return to sleep on wet pavement, and that’s a health risk.
"Everything's soaking wet so you know we've got to put the tarp down, and it's, it's really miserable," said protester Puneet Kumar.
So they are asking the city to change it again. Occupy Austin started an online petition requesting the city wash only once a week and during the day to save water. They maintain this is not only about saving water.
"It feels like harassment. You know, it feels like a tactic to wear people down," added Brian.
The city says there is no ulterior motive. Simply put, now that there are people living on the steps of City Hall, it creates a hygiene issue, and they have to keep it clean.
"It's being occupied 24/7, and some of the issues we actually have to face are human feces and urine in the facility," explained Reyne.
Kimberly Davio is a manager of the Austin Java coffee shop inside City Hall. She says she sympathizes with the protesters but understands the city's need to clean.
"I think that if they want to petition for it not to be power washed, then they should take better care of it," Kimberly said.
As of Monday afternoon, about 200 people have signed the petition. Organizers want 250 signatures before the end of the week.
City representatives say they are ready to talk it out, but say they have not received any type of formal complaint or a copy of the petition. They will need that before they can move forward.
