Occupy LA defies eviction order

The air was rife with tension as a contingent from Occupy Riverside arrived in time for the general assembly. It was likely that there were 1000 present. The most important topic of discussion was what to do in the event of a raid.

After the GA many people took to the streets, some marching around the block, or holding rallies. What if this is the last night we have freedom? We seemed to realize that that might be the case, and took our last grab at every kind of freedom we could think of, perhaps to the point of breaking laws just for spite. In the street some people lit off small fireworks. In the park, people openly smoked cannabis. Some artists painted messages of resistance directly on City Hall and the police station. Liberty burgeoned.

At some point between 10 and 12, we realized that if the cops couldn't get to the park, they wouldn't be able to conduct the eviction, and so began occupying the streets surrounding the encampment. The intersection at 1st and Spring was occupied from 2:AM until 4:20, when the last traffic-sitter finally moved rather than be arrested.

The cops moved in, forming a line down the center of 1st. They moved north about six feet at a time, stopping before reaching the sidewalk. It was a bit tense as it seemed like there might be a showdown, with lines of cops faced off with lines of occupiers, but there were no incidents. Eventually, we went and sat down on the grass. Before I knew it, it was 6:30 and I was waking up to the news "the cops are gone!"

We had survived the night, encampment in tact.