Charlotte May Ban Occupy Protests at Dem Convention

Leaders of Charlotte, North Carolina, apparently are already worried that Occupy protests will disrupt next year's Democratic National Convention, reports the Huffington Post. The city council is considering an ordinance that would outlaw camping on public property starting in January. The mayor swears the measure is not aimed at Occupiers, though HuffPo points out a memo from the police chief that reads, "The recent issues related to camping on city property have further amplified the need to review whether the city wants to regulate this activity during the DNC."

Occupy protesters have been camping in downtown Charlotte since October, though relations with police have been relatively peaceful. "If the ordinance is passed, it is possible that its constitutionality will be challenged," writes a local rep for the National Lawyers Guild in the Creative Loafing alternative weekly. "There is also the potential for increased confrontation between protesters and police." Click for more. (More Occupy Wall Street stories.)