Police storm by night to evict Occupy LA (& Philly)

.

.

.

Screenshot of Occupy LA livestream raid

And the country is now safe from violations of park regulations. Predatory bankers, not so much.

Above is a screenshot of the Ustream.tv feed showing tonight’s police raid on Occupy LA.  Protesters set off fireworks to signal the impending raid.  Last heard, police were ripping down (or maybe it was ripping up) tents.

 

UPDATE: OCCUPY SANTA ANA WOULD LIKE ITS ARRESTED PEOPLE BACK, THANKS!

HERE’S THE E-MAIL THAT CAME ACROSS OUR TRANSOM:

Mention the Santa Ana Occupies by name:

Jedediah Poole
Edith Gonzalez
Peter Nicholas Dorsey
Massimo Marinni

And demand their immediate release. Please also petition for the release of all other occupiers.

Here is the number: (213) 978-0721

BACK TO THE ORIGINAL POST!

 

Ustream.tv feed: http://www.ustream.tv/occupyfreedomla.

Daily Kos liveblog: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/30/1040996/-O-LA:-(LIVE-BLOG-Updated)-900-Police-to-evict-City-Hall-Park-encampment (warning — line may change; just go to main Daily Kos site where it will be highlighted.

LA Times coverage: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/11/occupy-la-some-protesters-ready-for-tear-gas-others-leave.html and http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/11/occupy-la-lapd-traps-hundreds-protesters-in-camp.html and http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/11/occupy-la-confrontation-at-first-and-broadway.html.

Occupy Philly was raided at approximately the same time.

Mourn or gloat as you will.  What you have to say will be read and remembered.

UPDATES (from Occupy OC Santa Ana Facebook feed, 1:15 a.m.)

INFORMATION IS BEING PRESENTED UNVERIFIED AND UNFILTERED FROM THESE POSTS.

TIMING IS APPROXIMATE (UNTIL I FINALLY GAVE UP)

‎”Protestors manifest power by blocking police from entering Occupy LA. Police are trying to come through metro city buses.” -Joel (about an hour ago)

“The park has been invaded, a perimeter has been set up” (about an hour ago)

“Cops are coming from all corners, flooding in. They’re hitting the roadblocks set up on the roadway. They are tearing down tents. -Medic” (about an hour ago)

“Tents are being taken down. It happened all at once, people are running” (about an hour ago)

“An officer just threw someone down the steps. Beating a guy with a camera.” (about an hour ago)

“Protesters are coming into the park from the street. The physical confrontation is beginning.” (about an hour ago)

“One arrest on the city steps.” (about an hour ago)

“Everyone is chanting and shouting at the police.” (about an hour ago)

“They are pulling the tents down. People are moving in on the officers. The police are physically pushing people back.”

“The police went through the building without occupiers knowing. They were in City Hall and ran out onto the grass. The people in the intersection had no idea.” (about an hour ago)

“Medic is on the outside perimeter on Los Angeles and First. Call MEDIC if you need help. The cops are trying to corral people in the park, threw our medic on the ground but he got out.” (about an hour ago)

“The sidewalk has been closed off.” (about an hour ago)

“Police are giving people notice that they will be subject to arrest if they do not leave. The police are surrounding the perimeter of city hall and will make arrests in 10 minutes” (about an hour ago)

“Police are asking for a black out and for the media to turn off their camera lights.” (about an hour ago)

“Approx 1,000 officers out there tonight. 30 buses travel 4-5 miles to city hall area. KCAL says that those who want to leave CAN, but I don’t think that’s really the case.” (about an hour ago)

“Sam just tweeted that EVERYONE IS BOXED IN. they came to harm.” (about an hour ago)

“Cops have declared that the protest is unlawful.” (about an hour ago)

“Some cops are in white chemical outfits. Everyone is boxed in.” (about an hour ago) [approx 12:30 a.m.]

“Cops are moving in, claiming it’s an unlawful assembly. Everyone is chanting “THE WHOLE WORLD IS WATCHING!” Protesters in an intersection have arms linked. “If you do not leave, you may be subject to police action.” Non-lethal weapons may be used.” (59 minutes ago)

“To leave, they’re asking everyone to walk southbound on Main.” (59 minutes ago)

“The cops are tearing down the art piece in the middle of the park” (59 minutes ago)

“‎10 to 20 minutes arrests will begin.” (57 minutes ago)

“‎5minute warning given on loud speaker. Arrests will be made. Battons have already been used on a handful of ppl” (57 minutes ago)

“Evacuations are being made to go to a nearby church. No visible medics except for the two from Santa Ana. Looks like arrest #2 is happening on the street.” (55 minutes ago)

“Police are walking protesters across main by marching towards them the protesters are walking backwardsPolice are walking protesters across main by marching towards them the protesters are walking backwards” (55 minutes ago)

“LAPD threatening to use “less lethal force” if Occupy Los Angeles does not disperse.” (53 minutes ago)

“Via twitter rubber bullets flyin now” (45 minutes ago)

“Evacuations are being made to go to a nearby church. No visible medics except for the two from Santa Ana. Looks like arrest #2 is happening on the street.”

“‎75-100 people linked arms are surrounded by 200 cops, the park has been sealed off. Tents are being taken away. Shouting going on in the center.”

“Police threatening “serious injury” Now”

“Pushing match between protesters and police. Handcuffing people officers carrying people being carried away.”

“Arrests in inner circle now”

“officers pushing media out of the park. People in handcuffs being set down on the curbs.”

“Livestreamers also forced out of park”

“whats up with rubber bullets?”

“Two individuals shot at of now. One in the hand. One in the arm. Officer was ordered to desist.”

“Media pushed media out of the center of the park so no one can see what is going on, on the inside. There are people in the trees.”

“People being hit with batons fornot moving fast enuf. Ppl tied themselves up in the trees lapd juat realizing. Only lapd issued press passes allowed.”

“A bunch of cops in hazmat suits on First st and Los Angeles.”

“Stated reason:fear of pee and poo bein thrown at thm”

“Ray said he saw someone get shot by a rubber bullet in the leg, blood everywhere, medics came in, crowd got too big to see.”

“The media is lying and saying that the arrests are peaceful.”

“People being hit with batons fornot moving fast enuf. Ppl tied themselves up in the trees lapd juat realizing. Only lapd issued press passes allowed.”

“‎100ppl surrounding last tent. Police having trpuble tearing down tre house”

“MAYOR VILLARAIGOSA ISSUES STATEMENT ON ENFORCEMENT OF CITY HALL PARK CLOSURE 1:01am”

“Victory cheers nearby. People just broke through the police barricade. Cops on First and Los Angeles. The Medic is moving north.”

“‎6 hazmat guys just took down one mid age woman”

“Medic is back on First st, heading east. Los Ang is blocked off on the south side. Medics are on perimeter, 2 blocks east of city hall.”

“Ocupiers showing up in force”

“Police just SHOT pritestor out of tree with multi rubber bullets”

“They finally stated that the police had a weapon. But say he is doing nothing with it.”

“‎”We got raided out of nowhere and shoved across the street by cops. They’re rounding up the human circle and putting them on a sheriff bus. A lot of people are breaking through Alameda to join up with us. More to come.” -Tony”

“Protestors outsid of barcades bein told to leave immediatle or fave bodily harm”

“Mass arrests now being conducted”

“I feel so pissed at these reporters, It is making me sick what the hell. Did someone pay them not to tell the truth?”

“Apparently they have an agreement with LAPD.”

“All of the media and livestreamers have been pushed out of the park.”

“They were all ordered not to tweet or fb”

“‎”City Hall was used as a Trojan Horse to invade the camp. Cops on the street were decoy. No one seen it coming.” -Tony”

“they are talking to a police officer who says they have used no batons, no pepper spray, very little force etc. GOD I HOPE THERE IS SOMEONE WITH CAMERAS AND VIDEO FOOTAGE.”

“Media cannot go onto the sidewalk at city hall.” [1:53 a.m.]

“In a pretty serious violation of the fourth amendment, unconvicted arrestees at #OccupyLA are having their DNA sampled.”

“This is actually common in LA and OC, unfortunately”

“Thank the Occupy Santa Ana people who are there and sending me the info to post!”

“‎4 people treated for injuries, 2 in the hospital”

 

 


About Greg Diamond

Somewhat verbose attorney, semi-disabled and semi-retired, residing in northwest Brea. Occasionally ran for office against jerks who otherwise would have gonr unopposed. Got 45% of the vote against Bob Huff for State Senate in 2012; Josh Newman then won the seat in 2016. In 2014 became the first attorney to challenge OCDA Tony Rackauckas since 2002; Todd Spitzer then won that seat in 2018. Every time he's run against some rotten incumbent, the *next* person to challenge them wins! He's OK with that. Corrupt party hacks hate him. He's OK with that too. He does advise some local campaigns informally and (so far) without compensation. (If that last bit changes, he will declare the interest.) His daughter is a professional campaign treasurer. He doesn't usually know whom she and her firm represent. Whether they do so never influences his endorsements or coverage. (He does have his own strong opinions.) But when he does check campaign finance forms, he is often happily surprised to learn that good candidates he respects often DO hire her firm. (Maybe bad ones are scared off by his relationship with her, but they needn't be.)