Occupy LA Leave Peacefully After Holding Strong Through the Night
Activists from the Occupy movement vacated the Los Angeles City Hall early Monday morning after defying an eviction notice during the night.
No violence is reported so far, with the 2,000-strong protestors deciding to listen to police orders and leave without much hustle. They prepared for a standoff with the LAPD during the night when they were handed the eviction notice; however, authorities gave them a temporary reprieve and allowed them to stay until the morning, Reuters reported.
The anti-corruption camp held strong for nearly eight weeks when the Occupy movement began, but now they will need to dismantle the tents and relocate elsewhere.
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Some activists will be allowed to stay near the grounds, and police are trying to keep the situation peaceful and have it serve as a model for other cities.
"We're going to do this as gently as possible," said Cmdr. Andrew Smith to The Los Angeles Times. "Our goal is to not arrest anybody."
Officers also warned that anyone who was blocking traffic would be arrested on the spot. So far, there have not been reports of protestors causing such trouble. There was a celebratory atmosphere in the camp during the night, however, as people made the most out of their last hours at the site.
The size of the camp grew by the hundreds on Sunday night as people from civil right groups and churches joined to show support for the cause, sending the message that wherever their encampment is moved, the protest will continue.
L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa delayed the order to start the evictions during midnight, allowing people the chance to pack their belongings and cool tempers before seeing them out at dawn.
The move avoided clashes with police, such as the ones that occurred at other protests in California and around the nation.
