LOS ANGELES - November 28, 2011 - The Occupiers at City Hall spent a sleepless night working to defend their camp, armed with only their bodies and their strength of will. Even when surrounded by police with one small escape route the occupiers held their ground. And as dawn broke, staying in the park past the city's deadline turned out to be safer than shopping at walmart this holiday weekend.
It now appears that the city's strategy for eviction is to wear people down with a low intensity slow motion raid, hoping that most will pack up and leave on their own. In classic Orwellian speak, police chief Beck has said, "It's not an eviction, it's the beginning of an informational campaign".
For the most part Beck's informational campaign appears to have achieved some partial success for the LAPD. At morning light the camp looked in disarray with less than half the number of tents from the day before. The 1,000s of supporters that packed last night's general assembly are also gone.
At this time police forces have been demobilized and there is only a small police presence at the camp. Both sides could be awaiting a ruling on an injunction filed by the National Lawyers Guild to stop the eviction on the grounds that the City Council has passed a resolution in support of Occupy that waived the no camping ordinance and that the mayor can not unilaterally order an eviction without the council's reinstatement of the no camping ban.
Last night was a long night for the occupiers and it is thought that most are resting and preparing for the days ahead. The night saw some creative displays of non-violent resistance with some people taking to the trees in the park, others formed a circle around a symbolic last tent. And there was, for a while, the formation of a human chain on the First Street side of the park.
Police riot squads did not attempt entry into the park. There were however 4 arrests reported that occurred during a brief scuffle when police cleared the protest off First Street. A dedicated core of perhaps 200 occupiers still vow to hold their ground and defy the eviction. Reports from the newswire:
The Deadline Passes at Occupy LA by RP
City's Deadline Passes No Sign of Riot Squad
Occupy LA Holding General Assembly Now | Up to 1,000 at General Assembly Now
OLA Protest has Spilled into Street | PHOTOS: Protesters in the Streets - 1st & Main by LA-IMC
OCCUPY LA at 10 PM by Marcus
From the KPFK Archive: Indy Media on the Air (available for 90 days)
LOS ANGELES,
27 Nov 2011 - The Occupiers at City Hall are asking all Angelenos to come to City Hall starting at 10:30 p.m. tonight and secure the space from a scheduled police raid until the Occupation can obtain a temporary restraining order when the courts open in the morning. At this juncture, the Occupiers are calling on all Angelenos to stand with them to protect the Occupation.
Seventy-two hours ago, notices were tacked up around City Hall lawn. Mayor Villaraigosa and police Chief Beck sent out the ultimatum to all of Los Angeles in a holiday weekend press conference timed to reach you on the local evening news: your Occupation of City Hall would officially end tonight. The Occupiers have responded that the City has no right to proscribe the people's right under the First Amendment to peaceably assemble and petition for a redress of grievances.
The current Occupiers are inviting Angelenos to round-the-clock block party with marches around City Hall, bands, and vigils until the space is secured again for the people. The people of Los Angeles are invited to come to City Hall to celebrate and claim their space and keep the police at bay all night and into tomorrow, until the court can intercede. Full Article: Urgent Call To Save the Occupation: Stay Up All Night by Lesile
Latest Report from the Camp: Tierra y Libertad: Occupy Los Angeles, Day 57 by Bradley Stuart
LOS ANGELES, November 25, 2011 - The Mayor announced this afternoon that he is ordering the closure of Solidarity Park (formerly known as City Hall Park). Standing with police chief Beck the mayor said that closure of the park would begin at one minute past midnight this Sunday night.
Reaction from occupiers was swift, with chants of "Hell no. we won't go" heard when the news reached the camp. One occupier is quoted has saying "They can shutdown our location, but they can't shutdown the spirit of the movement". The Occupy LA encampment is now the largest last standing camp in the nation. There are about 450 tents at the camp now with a camp population estimated at near 500 campers.
Occupiers are now mobilizing in two main groups: those prepared to engage in non-violent civil disobedience to resist eviction and those who can not risk arrest but can provide support in other ways. Occupiers are asking supporters to come to the camp this Sunday evening at 8:00 pm to help them defend the space.
From the Newswire: Occupy LA Braces for Police Raid this Sunday at Midnight | Occupy LA, Day 56 - Last Camp Standing | Shots from The GA that said NO by Robert Stuart Lowden