‘Occupy’ Groups Face Setbacks in San Francisco and Boston
By MALIA WOLLAN and JESS BIDGOOD
SAN FRANCISCO — The police cleared the Occupy San Francisco camp in a predawn raid Wednesday, arresting 70 protesters and removing more than 100 tents.
Police officers in riot gear swept into the camp around 1:30 a.m., giving the campers a five-minute warning that they needed to disperse or would be arrested. Dozens of protesters were charged with illegal lodging and with being in the park after hours, and two were charged with felony aggravated assault, accused of throwing a chair at officers.
“Communications between the group and the city had deteriorated and we had to take action,” said Albie Esparza, a spokesman for the police.
In recent weeks, protesters had repeatedly refused the city’s offer to move the encampment, one of the last remaining Occupy bivouacs in a big city, from Justin Herman Plaza to an empty lot in the Mission District.
In a statement, Mayor Ed Lee said the raid was necessary to ensure public safety, but that he continued to support “the spirit of the movement that calls for peaceful assembly and protest to bring about social change.”
After the arrests were made, city workers tore down dozens of tents, tarps and makeshift structures that had been tightly packed into the plaza for over two months. “People’s belongings were thrown directly into trash crusher trucks,” said a statement on the Occupy San Francisco Web site, which added that protesters would continue with what it called “mobile occupation forces,” or smaller groups occupying other sites across the city, including foreclosed homes.
“This movement cannot be contained,” said the statement, “and it cannot be stopped.”
Also on Wednesday, Occupy Boston protesters lost legal protection against eviction, when a judge in Boston lifted a temporary restraining order that prevented the city from evicting protesters without a court order. The judge ruled against granting an injunction that would have afforded the group longer-term protection.
“While Occupy Boston protesters may be exercising their expressive rights during their protest, they have no privilege under the First Amendment to seize and hold the land on which they sit,” wrote Judge Frances A. McIntyre of Suffolk County Superior Court. The group has occupied Dewey Square, a park in the city’s financial district, since Sept. 30.
The ruling does not order the protesters to leave, but it could clear the way for the city to take action against the camp. A representative for Boston’s mayor would not say whether there was a plan to clear the camp.
Phil Anderson, a media volunteer with the organization, said the group hoped to appeal the decision and had no plans to vacate their occupation.
Police officers in riot gear swept into the camp around 1:30 a.m., giving the campers a five-minute warning that they needed to disperse or would be arrested. Dozens of protesters were charged with illegal lodging and with being in the park after hours, and two were charged with felony aggravated assault, accused of throwing a chair at officers.
“Communications between the group and the city had deteriorated and we had to take action,” said Albie Esparza, a spokesman for the police.
In recent weeks, protesters had repeatedly refused the city’s offer to move the encampment, one of the last remaining Occupy bivouacs in a big city, from Justin Herman Plaza to an empty lot in the Mission District.
In a statement, Mayor Ed Lee said the raid was necessary to ensure public safety, but that he continued to support “the spirit of the movement that calls for peaceful assembly and protest to bring about social change.”
After the arrests were made, city workers tore down dozens of tents, tarps and makeshift structures that had been tightly packed into the plaza for over two months. “People’s belongings were thrown directly into trash crusher trucks,” said a statement on the Occupy San Francisco Web site, which added that protesters would continue with what it called “mobile occupation forces,” or smaller groups occupying other sites across the city, including foreclosed homes.
“This movement cannot be contained,” said the statement, “and it cannot be stopped.”
Also on Wednesday, Occupy Boston protesters lost legal protection against eviction, when a judge in Boston lifted a temporary restraining order that prevented the city from evicting protesters without a court order. The judge ruled against granting an injunction that would have afforded the group longer-term protection.
“While Occupy Boston protesters may be exercising their expressive rights during their protest, they have no privilege under the First Amendment to seize and hold the land on which they sit,” wrote Judge Frances A. McIntyre of Suffolk County Superior Court. The group has occupied Dewey Square, a park in the city’s financial district, since Sept. 30.
The ruling does not order the protesters to leave, but it could clear the way for the city to take action against the camp. A representative for Boston’s mayor would not say whether there was a plan to clear the camp.
Phil Anderson, a media volunteer with the organization, said the group hoped to appeal the decision and had no plans to vacate their occupation.
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