Police arrest nearly 300 Occupy LA protesters
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China.org.cn, December 1, 2011
Police arrested nearly 300 Occupy LA protesters during a midnight raid on Wednesday, removing anti-Wall Street activists from their camp at a Los Angeles City Hall park and fencing off the area.
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Police arrested nearly 300 Occupy LA protesters during a midnight raid on Nov. 30, 2011. [Xinhua Photo] |
About 1,400 police officers, some in riot gear, kicked off their raid early Wednesday, shortly after the 48 hours past the 12:01 AM (0801 GMT) Monday deadline set by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Chief Charlie Beck.
Police officers brought in on buses surrounded the camp after midnight and declared protesters on the lawn, sidewalks and streets around City Hall to be an unlawful assembly, Reuters reported.
All the protestors were ordered to disperse or face arrest in line with an eviction order from the mayor, the report said.
Protesters who wanted to leave the encampment were escorted out by police and those who refused to leave were arrested and handcuffed with plastic zip ties and loaded onto buses.
They were taken to Dodger Stadium not far from city hall, where they were booked and processed before being taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center, Xinhua reported.
Some Occupy L.A. activists called on protesters to be peaceful and restrained. No clashes happened during the police raid.
Villaraigosa and Beck announced Friday that the Occupy LA encampment on the lawn surrounding the City Hall should be evicted at 12:01 AM (0801 GMT) Monday, however, protesters refused to leave.
Villaraigosa Tuesday said police "will enforce the eviction when it is safe" to the officers and protesters and "the most minimum amount of force would be necessary."
In other U.S. cities, police sometimes used aggressive tactics and weapons, including batons and pepper spray, to remove Occupy encampments.
Occupy LA protesters have filed for a federal injunction that would prevent police from dismantling their camp, but that did not happen.
A lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court accused Villaraigosa and Beck of exceeding their authority and violated the 1st and 14th Amendment rights in ordering an end to overnight camping at City Hall Park.
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