Occupy protesters defy deadline to leave
Los Angeles -- Demonstrators held their ground in Los Angeles' City Hall Park early Monday morning, defying a 12:01 a.m. deadline to leave the encampment that had been in place for almost 60 days.
Protesters encouraged members who spilled into the streets to return to the park -- which some dubbed "Solidarity Park."
"Back to the park!" protesters chanted.
Police in helmets moved in on the scene, though it was not immediately clear whether anyone had been arrested.
Crystal Page of Good Jobs LA, one of the groups working with the Occupy LA movement, said demonstrators did not intend to vacate.
"We are just prepared to stand in solidarity and to defy a raid (by police) as long as possible," she said.
Sunday night, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced the deadline, saying "an encampment on City Hall grounds is simply not sustainable indefinitely."
He said the park is being vacated for repairs, and will remain open during normal hours for "the Occupy LA movement and other organizations that wish to exercise their freedom of speech."
Police will walk through the park early Monday handing out flyers about the park closure, he said.
He also played down concerns about a confrontation, saying police will allow campers "ample time to remove their belongings peacefully and without disruption."
"I am proud of the fact that this has been a peaceful, non-violent protest," he said. "I trust that we can manage the closure of City Hall Park in the same spirit of cooperation."
While some supporters took down tents, many more arrived at the park to swell the ranks. Placards in hand, they rallied on the streets around the park.
The Occupy Wall Street movement that began in New York in September has spread across major cities worldwide as a call to action against unequal distribution of wealth.
In recent weeks, cities have begun clearing encampments, citing economic and health concerns.
The Los Angeles encampment has become the largest remaining one after police raided New York's Zuccotti Park on November 15 and emptied it of protesters who had been camping out for nearly two months.
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