Colorado Springs – An anti-war camp erected here six weeks ago will be allowed to remain pending compliance with city ordinances.
Officials from Colorado College, which owns the retail building and parking lot on the northwest corner of Nevada Avenue and Dale Street where the camp has been erected, said they have no intention of dismantling it or evicting its host, Toons Music and Film owner Eric Verlo.
The Colorado Springs encampment bears the same name – Camp Casey – as the one erected by anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan in Crawford, Texas, this summer in honor of her son, who was killed in Iraq.
Verlo said the college’s property manager, Rick Davidson, contacted him Monday to say the camp needed to come down. On Wednesday, the property manager started talking about dismantling the camp by force and eviction, Verlo said.
Verlo spoke with Colorado College vice president for business and finance Tom Nycum for the first time Thursday on the sidewalk beside the makeshift white tents and hand-painted anti-war banners.
“I just want something in writing about what you want to do,” Nycum told Verlo. “It’s my understanding from the city you might be required to get a temporary outdoor display permit.”
Verlo said that although he doesn’t feel he needs a permit to exercise his freedom of speech, he would contact the city.
“We want to shut down the war and don’t want anyone to tell us we can’t say that,” he said.
Nycum said the college received two complaints about Camp Casey last week, with nearby residents saying they expected the protest to be temporary.
He did not direct Davidson to evict Verlo, he said.
Verlo said he surveyed many of the neighbors and nearby businesses before erecting the camp on Sept. 15 and found only support.
No one has contacted his music and video store directly with a complaint, he said.
Co-organizer Mark Lewis said organizers plan to dismantle the camp when the weather turns colder.
