State Patrol to Evict Occupy Denver Protesters After 11 pm

By Jeralyn, Section Colorado News
Posted on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 12:12:16 AM EST
Tags: Occupy Denver (all tags)

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The Colorado State Patrol announced they will begin removing protesters from Occupy Denver at 11 pm. They want people to go home at night and come back the next day. They said they will issue citations and make arrests if necessary. Paramedics are on the scene in case of injuries.

Here is a live feed of the site. It's now 11:10 pm. The Denver Post has some great photos here.[More...]

Update 10/14 8:30 am: The Denver Post reports police moved in at 6:30 a.m. to clear the park. The Governor has signed an Executive Order closing the park. Police removed those who stayed, but only arrested a handful. The rest were allowed to leave after being removed.

The protesters who would not leave were isolated by police, read their Miranda rights, restrained with plastic ties and then taken into custody.

But according to 9News, police moved in at 3:30 am and 23 were arrested:

The Colorado State Patrol and Denver Police began clearing the Occupy Denver tent camp just after 3 a.m. Friday morning. Twenty-three arrests were made.

Also via 9News:

Xcel was on the scene, trying to cut power to the tent city. Officials say the protesters tapped into the electricity of park structures (like lighting fixtures, etc.) to run their equipment. Xcel is repairing the damage the protesters caused, structure by structure.
Of the Occupy Denver protesters, 23 were arrested. Twenty-one of those arrests were made by Colorado State Patrol. The charges against the protesters are for unlawful conduct. Two of the arrests were made by Denver Police. One of which was for an assault among people in crowd and one for impeding traffic.

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State Patrol to Evict Occupy Denver Protesters After 11 pm | 47 comments (47 topical)

Practically every mayor in every town where (5.00 / 1) (#1)
by shoephone on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 12:44:04 AM EST

an OWS protest is threatening the exact same thing, and all in the same 24-hour period. I'm starting to think this is a totally coordinated response, oredered from the national level of law enforcement and the White House.

Yup. Coordinated response (5.00 / 1) (#2)
by Romberry on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 12:49:41 AM EST

Everywhere all at once. The powers that be mean to make this go away. The powers that be are fools, but that isn't exactly news.


Well ABG did predict that (5.00 / 1) (#8)
by MO Blue on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 08:04:18 AM EST

OWS would hit its peak in a week or two. I guess this is how the powers that be will try and make sure his prediction is right for a change.

His predictions on the economy suck big time but he may have an inside track on what will be done to make sure that action by the 99% is shut down.


But NY has, apparently, cancelled (5.00 / 3) (#10)
by Anne on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 08:37:01 AM EST

the planned closure and "cleanup" of Zuccotti Park:

"Late last night, we received notice from the owners of Zuccotti Park -- Brookfield Properties -- that they are postponing their scheduled cleaning of the park, and for the time being withdrawing their request from earlier in the week for police assistance during their cleaning operation," Deputy Mayor Caswell F. Holloway said in a statement.
"Brookfield believes they can work out an arrangement with the protesters that will ensure the park remains clean, safe, available for public use," Mr. Holloway said, "and that the situation is respectful of residents and businesses downtown."
[snip]
Patrick Bruner, a spokesman for Occupy Wall Street, said that on Thursday night protesters tried to deliver a petition with more than 100,000 signatures to City Hall, calling upon Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg to allow the Zuccotti park occupation to continue.
On Thursday night, the A.F.L.-C.I.O. sent a message to members asking them to show up at Zuccotti Park early Friday morning to support the protesters.
By 6 a.m., the crowd had swelled to more than a thousand. Police officers stood behind metal barricades that lined the park.
[snip]
The protesters feared that Mr. Bloomberg's announcement that the park would be cleaned was a prelude to their being banned permanently. An appeal quickly went out on Facebook and other sites calling for brooms, mops and various cleaning supplies as well as volunteers willing to donate elbow grease. After cleaning the place themselves, the protesters planned to form a human chain around the park to try to keep police officers from entering. Supporters had been urged to go to the park at 6 a.m. Friday "to defend the occupation from eviction."

I had read the other day that Bloomberg's long-time girlfriend is on the board of Brookfield - maybe there was some concern about the conclusions to be drawn from that connection? Or, maybe, when word got out that OWS was going to undertake to clean the park, there was a "so, if the park is clean, and that was our reason for closing it, then what?" moment - I don't know.

But I do think it's a good sign that, at the scene of the original, and largest, protest, plans to "Wisconsin-ize" the occupation (first, it's about "cleaning" the area, then it's about not allowing tents or sleeping bags, then it's about banning food - and so on, with the hope that fewer and fewer people will participate) have been put on hold.

Something tells me that OWS is not going to be denied, ABG's "predictions" notwithstanding.


Not in Philly. City officials and police (5.00 / 3) (#14)
by Peter G on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 09:21:05 AM EST

have been welcoming, supportive and accommodating of Occupy Philadelphia on Dilworth Plaza along side of City Hall. Meanwhile, I am proud of my grad student daughter in NYC, who went down there at 6:30 am today - a long subway ride from where she lives - along with other friends who are not occupying full-time, to support the occupiers and face down the mayor and police. She was very excited that that the increased crowd of supporters may have influenced the City to back down.


Hope she is ok Peter... (5.00 / 1) (#23)
by kdog on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 11:11:40 AM EST

got ugly this morning when the 99% marched with brooms to "clean up Wall St."

The NYSE Security Force, formerly known as the NYPD, didn't like that none too much.


She was in the march (5.00 / 0) (#24)
by Peter G on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 11:50:20 AM EST

but her call to her parents was cheerful and excited. Nothing bad about the policing. Of course, she was talking to her parents, after all. I know it was definitely not her plan to get arrested.


Knowing you... (5.00 / 0) (#26)
by kdog on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 12:02:22 PM EST

she is surely aware of her civil rights, and as a fellow member of the police state generation(s),I'm sure she has the street skills to stay outta the cuffs.

Ya got a NY friend if ya need one brother!


: Thanks very much for that, KDog (none / 0) (#37)
by Peter G on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 07:57:16 PM EST

We really appreciate your good words. And your spirit!

Just heard that it was city officials (none / 0) (#12)
by nycstray on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 09:12:17 AM EST

that pressured for the protesters to stay in the park vs to having them all leave "for cleaning".


Letter sent from Liberty Park Working Group (none / 0) (#20)
by MO Blue on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 10:43:39 AM EST

The following is a letter from the Liberty Park Working Group to the CEO of Brookfield Properties informing the CEO that using the police to "evict" occupiers from Zuccotti Park early in the morning on October 14 raises First Amendment and other legal concerns. It asserts the police action against the occupiers requires "prior court approval."
The letter is an attempt by the lawyers to convey to the park owner, Brookfield Properties, that the Sanitation Working Group has taken measures to clean the park and is willing to meet to further negotiate what must be done to take care of the park properly. link

Excellent news! (none / 0) (#29)
by Romberry on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 12:53:18 PM EST

I'm quite happy to be wrong on this. Hope the authorities back down everywhere.


I think of all that commenter's (5.00 / 1) (#19)
by KeysDan on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 09:37:30 AM EST

"predictions" (economy, protestors et al) as inside track, or at least, the latest in talking points.


I started out thinking that it's gotten (5.00 / 2) (#27)
by Anne on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 12:24:46 PM EST

so much harder to exercise our constitutional freedoms and rights, but then I realized that over the last ten years, we have more or less stood by while those rights were steadily eroded and compromised, allowing the government to gain a significant upper hand, and for those at the higher levels of power to believe that we would just keep going along with whatever was imposed on us or taken from us.

What we're seeing now is that, for all the government's praise for citizen action against repression taking place on the other side of the world, they really don't want people out in the streets here - in the "greatest democracy in the world. " And while there are instances of city officials accommodating these occupations and marches - good to know there are some who understand that it's important to practice what we preach to others - there are too many that are threatened by citizens speaking up for themselves, and are determined to nip it in the bud before people on the sidelines - those there in spirit - get the idea that they just might have more power than they've been led to believe.

If this is the beginning of the balance of power tipping back toward the people, we should encourage and nurture it and participate in it however and whenever we can.


what constitutional rights? (none / 0) (#34)
by diogenes on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 06:12:37 PM EST

"...so much harder to exercise our constitutional freedoms and rights"
In New York City, at least, the protesters are occupying a PRIVATE park. Was there a constitutional amendment allowing people to trespass on other people's land for days at a time?


Or, to put it another way, (5.00 / 0) (#38)
by Peter G on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 08:06:01 PM EST

since when do we sell the right to privitize essential public spaces like urban parks to Wall Street oligarchs?


Yes, it's a private park... (none / 0) (#40)
by Romberry on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 09:13:31 PM EST

...but it's also a public space. And come to think of it, when civil rights protestors were doing sit-ins at lunch counters, those were also private. That's the way civil disobedience sometimes works. What part of civil disobedience do you not understand?


: You are comparing OWS (none / 0) (#48)
by jimakaPPJ on Sat Oct 15, 2011 at 05:16:31 PM EST

to the civil rights struggle?
Really?
Your kidding, right?

NYC has abdicated on parks (none / 0) (#41)
by Towanda on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 09:14:44 PM EST

with that stupid setup of requiring the developer to provide a park and then calling it a private park. It is required by law, public law, and the ordinance I read would argue that it is a private park.

Privatizing parks or outsourcing parks or whatever budgetary dodge NYC is pulling with that is terrible. The mayor's girlfriend calling the shots makes it worse. It's not the city that I liked, not any more.


: cx: The ordinance that I read (none / 0) (#42)
by Towanda on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 09:15:19 PM EST

would argue that it is NOT a private park. . . .

Just saw on the 11 pm news (none / 0) (#3)
by shoephone on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 01:07:35 AM EST

that, in the last few minutes, ten protestors at Occupy Seattle have been arrested for not leaving Westlake Park on mayor and SPD's "curfew." More arrests to follow...


Yep (none / 0) (#22)
by sj on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 11:02:50 AM EST

"We've been talking to the group every day since Monday," Hickenlooper said. "And every time we've talked to them, we've told them it is illegal and unsafe to camp in the park."

I expect that OWS has already considered that this was a possible approach. I look forward to their response.


American Assads Running Scared (5.00 / 1) (#6)
by koshembos on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 04:59:35 AM EST

The synchronized eviction of the OWS protestors shows better than anything else that the 1% is running scared. They don't shot protestors, yet. But the mayor of the city where the statue of Liberty stands saying: "Give me your tired, your poor,Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Bloomberg rejects his own history. Go away tired people!

This is too funny (5.00 / 3) (#13)
by Edger on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 09:12:39 AM EST

They actually want the protesters to agree to protest only when and how the government wants to allow them to protest? Lol.

When will the 9 to 5 "free speech zones" be established on the outskirts of town, complete with chain link fences and no cameras allowed?

Coming attractions (5.00 / 3) (#16)
by MO Blue on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 09:29:03 AM EST

Government imposed "Mail In Protests." These will of course only be processed on Saturday once the Post Office only works Mon - Fri. ;o)


: Well... (none / 0) (#18)
by Edger on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 09:32:56 AM EST

they could email their protests to the white house, couldn't they?
Maybe even respectfully request that the protests be posted on change.gov? ;-)

Chortle. Our government doesn't do irony. (5.00 / 2) (#17)
by Mr Natural on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 09:30:22 AM EST

Police are now scheduled to move in (none / 0) (#4)
by Jeralyn on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 01:48:22 AM EST

at 2:00 am, you can watch the live feeds if you are still up.

How to lose the populace (none / 0) (#7)
by Wile ECoyote on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 05:10:18 AM EST

Occupy Boston protesters spit on Coast Guard member

Yeah (5.00 / 3) (#11)
by Edger on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 09:01:30 AM EST

like most protest movements, there will probably be infiltrating agent provocateurs active to supply blog commenters who would love the movement to go away with movement smear material.

Just like The Emergency Committee for Israel, a Republican group, has started to claim that protesters holding signs saying "Gaza Supports The Occupation Of Wall Street" proves that the "Occupy Wall Street" protests are "anti-Semitic"

: Who wants it (none / 0) (#35)
by Wile ECoyote on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 06:28:18 PM EST

To go away? I hope they hang on for a long time.

I note that report is from Fox "News" (5.00 / 4) (#15)
by Peter G on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 09:27:11 AM EST

and give it little credence unless corroborated by an actual journalist. While waiting, re-read your copy of The Spitting Image, a terrific book about the persistent myth of anti-Vietnam protesters spitting on returning and other uniformed Armed Forces members.


Another weird Vietnam era factoid... (none / 0) (#39)
by Mr Natural on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 09:09:31 PM EST

The number of people claiming to be Vietnam vets is five times the number who actually served there.


: Of course, there are "Vietnam Vets" (5.00 / 0) (#47)
by Peter G on Sat Oct 15, 2011 at 02:03:50 PM EST

and there are "Vietnam-era Vets." Easy for those in the latter group to identify themselves accurately and yet be misunderstood.

: I spent almost a year in a VA hospital... (none / 0) (#43)
by Romberry on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 09:16:11 PM EST

...in the late 90's and there was this thing that actual Vietnam vets did to suss out the pretenders, basically asking them where they served and what unit. Pretenders learned fast not to pretend. (No, I'm not a Vietnam era vet. I am a vet, but too young for that one.)

Tin soldiers and Truncheons coming... (none / 0) (#9)
by Mr Natural on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 08:12:18 AM EST

Protest? (none / 0) (#21)
by Slado on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 10:48:04 AM EST

From the looks of the live feed this looks like organized loitering.

Honestly this whole "movement" has been overblown in both the government and media reaction to it.

: Loitering is a crime... (5.00 / 3) (#30)
by kdog on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 01:13:57 PM EST

civil disobedience is protest Slado.

in Des Moines (none / 0) (#25)
by desmoinesdem on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 11:52:50 AM EST

A bunch of Occupy Iowa protesters were arrested Sunday night for staying on state capitol grounds past 11 pm. On Tuesday the group got a permit to stay around the clock, but officials won't extend the permit, so there may be more arrests after 11 tonight.

Thank you (5.00 / 0) (#28)
by sj on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 12:33:40 PM EST

So now we see the chosen narrative

"I think we've got to be careful about casting blame and attacking people who we want to invest and create jobs," Branstad said during his weekly news conference inside the statehouse. "I'm very concerned about not sending the wrong signals to the decision makers in business."

We have to protect the "job creators".

The PTB really are stuck between a rock and hard place. If the police are deployed to use more and more force there is a huge risk that the bad publicity will do more harm to their interests rather than good.

If they do nothing, the occupation continues to slowly grow.

OWS would have absolutely not been possible even a few years ago. When corporate media had a stranglehold on the distribution of information this could have gone nowhere.

As Anonymous said in their video:

It is becoming obvious that due to certain technical difficulties the revolution will not be televised. It will not be broadcasted.

There will be lumps to be taken -- I think the OWS knows that very well. And it will be hard to remain steadfast in the winter months. I've gotten the impression they're prepared for that.

I am so grateful to them.


Iowa update (5.00 / 1) (#44)
by desmoinesdem on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 09:53:50 PM EST

The mayor of Des Moines came to Friday evening's Occupy Iowa GA and offered them permission to camp/protest around the clock in a city park not far from the state capitol. After some debate, the protesters agreed to move a few blocks away rather than risk arrest by state troopers for breaking curfew on capitol grounds.


: Nice twist in Cleveland (5.00 / 1) (#45)
by MO Blue on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 10:09:07 PM EST

The City of Cleveland said "No tents!" It started raining, so we erected tents anyway. They changed our permit over-night so we are now considered a "special event" and tents are permitted. Then the Cleveland Police Department came and donated their own personal tents and tarps to the movement. video link

out of curiosity, (none / 0) (#31)
by cpinva on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 04:38:13 PM EST

does the colorado state police possess military quality weapons of war also? if so, is the state in danger of being invaded by a foreign country?

We have always been at war (5.00 / 1) (#46)
by MileHi Hawkeye on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 11:40:42 PM EST

...with Utah.

Well, there IS Colorado Springs (none / 0) (#32)
by sj on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 05:40:10 PM EST

which I hear (and this is not tongue in cheek) has the backup bunker for Washington DC "in the event of..."

I'm a little sad that Occupy Denver was still so small that Hickenlooper (the Democratic governor) apparently had such little trouble. I'm just counting them down, and not out.


Hey, Colorado Springs (none / 0) (#33)
by Zorba on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 06:09:22 PM EST

may not be the only "backup bunker" for DC. Just Google "Mount Weather," which is in Virginia, and you get all kinds of interesting links. Not all that far from us folks in Western Maryland. And we have friends in the Berryville, VA area, who know that there is something very "interesting" going on there, and has been for years. Supposedly an "Emergency Operations Center" for FEMA. And maybe more. That and the fact that the "underground Pentagon" is not too far northeast of us in Pennsylvania, sort of makes us all feel like we're near "ground zero" for all kinds of things. ;-)


: I hadn't thought about it (5.00 / 0) (#36)
by sj on Fri Oct 14, 2011 at 07:09:53 PM EST

But I expect you're right. Of course they wouldn't have only ONE backup plan. And there are all those dollars unaccounted for in their budget.

State Patrol to Evict Occupy Denver Protesters After 11 pm

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