Protesters go to court in Cedar Rapids

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — An attorney for anti-Wall Street protesters in Cedar Rapids has gone to court to block the city’s attempt to remove personal property from some empty lots.

The city posted a notice on Monday that protesters have until 8 a.m. Tuesday to remove the items or city crews will haul it away.

KGAN-TV in Cedar Rapids reports the protesters’ attorney, Robert Wilson, filed a lawsuit in Linn County District Court to block the city. He says the group has violated no city ordinance and is exercising its constitutional rights of freedom of speech and assembly. Wilson contends the site is “greenway” space controlled by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The city, in the notice, refers to the area as “city-owned property” that came from flood-damaged homes acquired during the buyouts.