Sandi Cauley CBS 6 Executive Producer 11:30 p.m. EDT, October 26, 2011
RICHMOND, VA (WTVR) - The Richmond Tea Party is asking the city of Richmond for its money back. They say they're not happy to hear that Occupy Richmond protesters get to stay in Kanawha Plaza - for free.
In April, the Richmond Tea Party held a Tax Day Rally in Kanawha Plaza. They say before they could use the city venue they were charged nearly $10,000 and had to comply with a series of usage forms and procedures.
Colleen Owens, a spokesperson for the Tea Party, says it's obvious the Occupy demonstrators are not being held to the same standard. "We followed the rules, we followed the law, we got all the permits, we paid all the fees, we had to jump through all the hoops that they asked us to."
Owens notes that the Tea Party "didn’t complain about it," but that now they're "sitting back and watching these Occupiers in Richmond and they’re basically camped out at Kanawha plaza."
"And they’re not having to pay for the park, they’re not getting permits, they’re not paying for police, they’re not paying for port-o-potties, they’re not paying for emergency personnel," Owens says.
"Everything that we were required to do," she adds.
Owens says the Tea Party hopes to get an invoice into the Mayor's office this week and ask for a refund.
“It’s not fair, the City of Richmond’s picking and choosing whose First Amendment rights trump someone else’s First Amendment rights and we thought--well that’s fine--then they can refund our money," she says.
"If that’s how they’re going to run the city then they owe us our fees back.”