Nashville joined a host of other cities on Friday as the site of an Occupy Wall Street protest where demonstrators have been arrested.
Three Memphians were among more than two-dozen protesters taken into custody by police and state troopers during the demonstration.
University of Memphis student Alexandra Pusateri, Southwest Tennessee Community College student Elizabeth Drake and Memphis resident Jade Stowater, all members of Occupy Memphis, drove to Nashville Thursday night to support the movement.
"I got the call around 8 o'clock from Occupy Nashville's Twitter. They said they needed bodies down there because they were going to be evicted at 12:01 a.m.," Pusateri said.
Nashville protesters had previously asked for police assistance after isolated incidents of theft and an assault. Governor Bill Haslam instead issued a state ordinance on Thursday closing the State of Tennessee Legislative Plaza, War Memorial Courtyard and Capitol grounds areas in Nashville from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
The new policy requires demonstrators to apply for permits to use the grounds by paying a daily use fee of $65. They must also show proof of a $1 million liability insurance policy, a realistically unattainable amount, some protesters said. The permit also restricts demonstrations to from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Information on the new curfew was posted in the affected areas at about 1 p.m. on Thursday. State spokeswoman Lola Potter said the policy wouldn't be enforced until Friday.
State troopers moved in 14 hours later, arriving at the Legislative Plaza at about 3 a.m.
Drake said that while Pusateri and Stowater were being arrested, officers told her that she was not allowed back past a barricade they had set up. She said she continued to ask officers questions until one told her she had five seconds to decide whether she was going to leave or go to jail.
The protesters sat down and locked arms as the troopers moved in, reciting the Declaration of Independence and chanting, "The whole world is watching," as their hands were bound behind their backs with zip ties.
Sanitation crews were sent to the plaza to remove demonstrators' belongings after they were removed from the grounds.
While Stowater went limp to make the officers work harder during his arrest, Pusateri stood up, put her hands behind her back and said, "I am not resisting arrest and I don't have any weapons," as she walked with the officers to the bus.
Nashville Night Court Magistrate Tom Nelson refused to jail the 29 men and women Friday morning. He said the state had a right to change its rules but didn't give the protesters the opportunity to comply. Instead protesters were issued misdemeanor citations for trespassing.
Pusateri said her experience in jail was a typical one. The women were taken to the same facility as the men.
"We had no concept of time, as is typical in jail," said Pusateri. "The guys pretty much talked and slept. But we (women) tried to keep our spirits up. We did yoga and sang ‘Bohemian Rhapsody' in its entirety."
The success of the Occupy movement is measure by the joint efforts of the demonstrators in each city, said U of M literature graduate student James Raines.
"One person or one city isn't going to accomplish much. But in many cities, that's when you will begin to see a difference," he said. "If you piss off L.A., New York is going to respond. London is going to respond. Paris is going to respond."
According to Raines, Occupy Memphis protesters did not expect a situation similar to Nashville. Police, protesters and the homeless have all jointly contributed to the production of their camp. Local police officers have given support to the movement.
In Memphis, police officers pull up and open their trunks to the protesters. They have personally donated tents, blankets and food for the movement, according to Raines.
Tristan Tran, sophomore logistics major and moderator for Occupy Memphis' Livestream.com site, said that Occupy Memphis had funds set aside to post bond for their media team, which includes Pusateri and Drake.
Nashville protesters were arrested again on Saturday morning, though Magistrate Nelson again refused to jail protesters, telling state troopers that he could "find no authority anywhere for anyone to authorize a curfew anywhere on Legislative Plaza."
In accordance with his statement, all demonstrators were released, and marched back to the Legislative Plaza. No more arrests have been made in Nashville, though the Tennessee Highway Patrol did surround the plaza again on Sunday night.
Police forces in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Oakland and San Diego have been sent in to arrest protesters who refused to leave in each city. While the arrests in many cities have been relatively peaceful, like in Nashville, Detroit and Oakland police used rubber bullets and tear gas to control demonstrators.
Scott Olsen, an Iraq war veteran and Occupy Oakland protester, suffered a fractured skull after being hit in the head by a "non-lethal projectile" last Wednesday. His status has been upgraded from critical condition to fair.
The brain injuries he sustained have hindered his ability to speak. Reports from Olsen's doctors indicate that his functionality is expected to return with time.
Pusateri and the other protesters arrested in Nashville on Friday are scheduled for arraignment on Nov. 18.
