NYC Judge Says Occupy [New York] Protesters Can Come Back And Bring Their Tents

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

A judge has ordered protesters be allowed back in the park with their belongings.

Another hearing will be held at 11:30 regarding the decision.

The following is from a press release delivered by attorneys for the Occupy Wall Street movement.

We spoke with one of the attorneys, Yetta Kurland. She told us that the team of lawyers put together cause in a matter of hours and that they're "confident the Court will uphold the Judge's ruling. We have the law, and we have public opinion on our side."

She also said that she believes that there's no coincidence that today's police action took place a few days before a major protest was set to take place downtown on Thursday.

The press release is below:

New York, NY: At around 6 AM on November 15, 2011, attorneys associated with the New York City Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild working as the Liberty Park Legal Working Group obtained a temporary restraining order against the City of New York, various City agencies, and Brookfield properties directing that occupiers be allowed back on the premises with their belongings.

Earlier, at approximately 1 AM, the NYPD began amassing around Zuccotti Park "aka Liberty Park." In the following hours reports surfaced that the NYPD entered the park with police in riot gear backed up by numerous police vehicles, including a bulldozer, evicting occupiers. In the process they destroyed property and arrested dozens of occupiers and protestors including NYC Councilmember Ydanis Rodriguez and District Leader Paul Newell.

In the coming hours, days and weeks the LPLWG will pursue all legal options to enable the occupiers to continue to exercise their first amendment rights to speech and assembly for speech. Attorney Yetta Kurland, one of the attorneys from the LPLWG, said, "This is a victory for everyone who believes in the First Amendment. We will continue to fight for everyone's right to continue the occupation." In response to the injunction, Daniel Alterman, also an attorney with the LPLWG, stated that, "This is a victory for all Americans, for the constitution and for the 99%." Gideon Oliver, another attorney with the LPLWG reacted by saying, "The LPLWG has been fighting to ensure their right to free speech from day one of the occupation. The occupiers' right to free speech is based in our most core legal principles and we will be here till the end to fight for those rights."

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/occupy-protesters-can-come-back-with-tents-2011-11#ixzz1dnHbmD80

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Court Allows 'Occupy Wall Street' Protesters to Return to Park Following Arrests, Eviction by Police

NEW YORK – Hundreds of police officers in riot gear before dawn Tuesday raided the New York City park where the Occupy Wall Street protests began, evicting and arresting dozens of protesters from what has become the epicenter of the worldwide movement with other cities, such as Dallas and London likely to follow suit.

Hours later, the National Lawyers Guild obtained a court order allowing the protesters to return with their tents to the park, where they have camped for two months. The guild said the injunction prevents the city from enforcing park rules on the protesters who are now looking for squatters rights, despite park rules banning camping overnight.

At a morning news conference, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the evacuation was conducted in the middle of the night "to reduce the risk of confrontation in the park, and to minimize disruption to the surrounding neighborhood."

Hundreds of police officers surrounded the park overnight in riot gear, holding plastic shields and batons that were used in some cases on protesters. Police flooded the park with klieg lights and used bull horns to announce that everyone had to leave.

Police "had their pepper spray out and were ready to use it," said protester Jake Rozak.

About 70 people were arrested overnight, including some who chained themselves together. Others chanted or shouted angrily at police and vowed to march in protest.

Bloomberg said the city knew about the court order but had not seen it and would go to court to fight it. He said the city wants to protect people's rights, but if a choice must be made, it will protect public safety.

By 9 a.m., the park was power-washed clean by sanitation workers. Police in riot gear ringed the public space, waiting for orders to reopen it.

The city told protesters they could come back after the cleaning, but under new tougher rules, including no tents, sleeping bags or tarps, which would effectively put an end to the encampment if enforced.

"The law that created Zuccotti Park required that it be open for the public to enjoy for passive recreation 24 hours a day," Bloomberg said. "Ever since the occupation began, that law has not been complied with, as the park has been taken over by protesters, making it unavailable to anyone else."

Concerns about health and safety issues at Occupy Wall Street camps around the U.S. have intensified, and protesters have been ordered to take down their shelters, adhere to curfews and relocate so that parks can be cleaned.

In Dallas, a hearing will be held Tuesday to determine if Occupiers there will continue to be allowed to camp out in front of City Hall, according to MyFoxDFW.com

City officials originally allowed the protesters to stay on city property through December, so long as they followed certain rules, but they violated them by using City Hall bathrooms and leaving protest signs, along with other transgressions, according to the news site.

In London, where nearly 200 tents have been pitched in front of St. Paul’s Cathedral for a month, authorities said they were pursuing legal action to evict the occupiers after talks had stalled.

Back in New York, hundreds of former Zuccotti Park residents and their supporters marched along Lower Manhattan before dawn Tuesday.

Some paused and locked arms outside the gates of City Hall but left peacefully when police in riot gear appeared. About 300 to 400 kept moving along the sidewalks.

Some were chanting, "This is what democracy looks like."

Others chanted: "Hey, hey, ho, ho, our billionaire mayor has got to go."

At about 1 a.m. Tuesday, New York City police handed out notices from Brookfield Office Properties, owner of Zuccotti Park, and the city saying that the park had to be cleared because it had become unsanitary and hazardous.

Paul Browne, a spokesman for the New York Police Department, said the park had been cleared by 4:30 a.m. and that about 70 people who'd been inside had been arrested, including a group who chained themselves together. One person was taken to a hospital for evaluation because of breathing problems.

Police in riot gear filled the streets, car lights flashing and sirens blaring. Protesters, some of whom shouted angrily at police, began marching to two locations in Lower Manhattan where they planned to hold rallies.

Ben Hamilton, 29, said he was arrested "and I was just trying to get away" from the fray.

Rabbi Chaim Gruber, an Occupy Wall Street member, said police officers were clearing the streets near Zuccotti Park.

"The police are forming a human shield, and are pushing everyone away," he said.

Notices given to the protesters said the park "poses an increasing health and fire safety hazard to those camped in the park, the city's first responders and the surrounding community."

It said that tents, sleeping bags and other items had to be removed because "the storage of these materials at this location is not allowed." Anything left behind would be taken away, the notices said, giving an address at a sanitation department building where items could be picked up.

Alex Hall, 21, said police walked into the park "stepping on tents and ripping them out."

Elsewhere in the U.S., anti-Wall Street activists intend to converge at the University of California, Berkeley on Tuesday for a day of protests and another attempt to set up an Occupy Cal camp, less than a week after police arrested dozens of protesters who tried to pitch tents on campus.

The Berkeley protesters will be joined by Occupy Oakland activists who said they would march to the UC campus in the afternoon. Police cleared the tent city in front of Oakland City Hall before dawn Monday and arrested more than 50 people amid complaints about safety, sanitation and drug use.

Protestors in Portland, Oregon, who were evicted from Chapman and Lownsdale Square parks this past weekend have vowed to setup a new encampment elsewhere in the city, according to Fox Affiliate KPTV.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/11/15/police-order-protesters-to-vacate-occupy-wall-street-camp-in-zuccotti-park/#ixzz1dnJ8NgSZ

Edited November 15, 2011 by Crusty Old Perv

[mawilson 2,133]

They should booby-trap the park with tripwires and fishhooks hung at eye level for when the protesters come back.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

They should booby-trap the park with tripwires and fishhooks hung at eye level for when the protesters come back.

Why don't they just turn the sprinklers on at 4 am?

[mawilson 2,133]

Why don't they just turn the sprinklers on at 4 am?

Sulfuric acid sprinklers?

[slim 1,533]

They should booby-trap the park with tripwires and fishhooks hung at eye level for when the protesters come back.

Or when the cops come back.

[Ban Hammer 13,754]

just announce it's a weapons free zone, the muggers will be out in force.

[slim 1,533]

just announce it's a weapons free zone, the muggers will be out in force.

In NYC it's most likely a weapons free zone anyway.

[^_^ 5,021]

In NYC it's most likely a weapons free zone anyway.

The NYPD has its own goddamn navy. I wouldn't call it weapons free, just that the NYPD doesn't like competition.

[slim 1,533]

The NYPD has its own goddamn navy. I wouldn't call it weapons free, just that the NYPD doesn't like competition.

No government agency does.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

No government agency does.

Just look at the Los Angeles riots. The LAPD got mad at the Korean storekeepers, for arming themselves in order to protect their livelihoods. Meanwhile, the cops hopped on their motorcycles, and jumped in their squad cars, and headed out to the San Fernando to munch on some donuts over on Mission. From there it was just a quick scoot over to Simi Valley and pound beers with their buddies while telling war stories.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

Just look at the Los Angeles riots. The LAPD got mad at the Korean storekeepers, for arming themselves in order to protect their livelihoods. Meanwhile, the cops hopped on their motorcycles, and jumped in their squad cars, and headed out to the San Fernando to munch on some donuts over on Mission. From there it was just a quick scoot over to Simi Valley and pound beers with their buddies while telling war stories.

I remember reading how they went straight for the Asian stores during those riots. I was in Seattle during the WTO riots and the cops where to busy macing people like the union members that were marching...amongst others, and they left did little to nothing while the brothers were taking advantage of the cops being busy by looting nearly all the stores in downtown Seattle at the same time.

Edited November 15, 2011 by Why_Me