Los Angeles Indymedia : Activist News

LOS ANGELES - November 28, 2011 - The Occupiers at City Hall spent a sleepless night working to defend their camp, armed with only their bodies and their strength of will. Even when surrounded by police with one small escape route the occupiers held their ground. And as dawn broke, staying in the park past the city's deadline turned out to be safer than shopping at walmart this holiday weekend.

It now appears that the city's strategy for eviction is to wear people down with a low intensity slow motion raid, hoping that most will pack up and leave on their own. In classic Orwellian speak, police chief Beck has said, "It's not an eviction, it's the beginning of an informational campaign".

For the most part Beck's informational campaign appears to have achieved some partial success for the LAPD. At morning light the camp looked in disarray with less than half the number of tents from the day before. The 1,000s of supporters that packed last night's general assembly are also gone.

At this time police forces have been demobilized and there is only a small police presence at the camp. Both sides could be awaiting a ruling on an injunction filed by the National Lawyers Guild to stop the eviction on the grounds that the City Council has passed a resolution in support of Occupy that waived the no camping ordinance and that the mayor can not unilaterally order an eviction without the council's reinstatement of the no camping ban.

Last night was a long night for the occupiers and it is thought that most are resting and preparing for the days ahead. The night saw some creative displays of non-violent resistance with some people taking to the trees in the park, others formed a circle around a symbolic last tent. And there was, for a while, the formation of a human chain on the First Street side of the park.

Police riot squads did not attempt entry into the park. There were however 4 arrests reported that occurred during a brief scuffle when police cleared the protest off First Street. A dedicated core of perhaps 200 occupiers still vow to hold their ground and defy the eviction. Reports from the newswire:

Occupy LA defies eviction order by Rockero

The Deadline Passes at Occupy LA by RP

City's Deadline Passes No Sign of Riot Squad

Occupy LA Holding General Assembly Now | Up to 1,000 at General Assembly Now

OLA Protest has Spilled into Street | PHOTOS: Protesters in the Streets - 1st & Main by LA-IMC

OCCUPY LA at 10 PM by Marcus

From the KPFK Archive: Indy Media on the Air (available for 90 days)