‘Drag Me Away’: Occupy LA Protesters Say They’re Not Leaving
- Posted on November 27, 2011 at 2:10pm by
Madeleine Morgenstern
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A man clears his belongings from a tent at the Occupy LA site in front of City Hall in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday. Despite the mayor's eviction order, many protesters said they have no plans to leave their encampment. (Photo credit: AFP)
LOS ANGELES (The Blaze/AP) — Facing a midnight deadline to vacate the City Hall lawn where they’ve taken up residence, many Occupy LA protesters say they have no plans to leave.
With hours left before the 12:01 a.m. Monday deadline Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the city police chief gave Friday, very few of the occupiers were packing, and many were instead were making plans for what to do when they stay.
Some handed out signs Saturday mocked up to look like the city’s notices to vacate, advertising a Monday morning “eviction block party.”
Dozens attended a teach-in on resistance tactics, including how stay safe in the face of rubber bullets, tear gas canisters and pepper spray.
Police gave few specifics about what tactics they would use if protesters ignored the deadline.
Chief Charlie Beck said at Friday’s news conference that officers would definitely not be sweeping through the camp and arresting everyone just after midnight.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times published Sunday, Beck said that despite the lack of confrontations in the camp’s two-month run, he’s realistic about what might happen.
“I have no illusions that everybody is going to leave,” Beck said. “We anticipate that we will have to make arrests.”
But he added, “We certainly will not be the first ones to apply force.”
Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck has not provided details of how officers will handle Occupy LA eviction stragglers, but said there will not be mass arrests at midnight. (Image source: Los Angeles Times)
Villaraigosa announced Friday that despite his sympathy for the protesters’ cause, it was time for the camp of nearly 500 tents to leave for the sake of public health and safety.
The mayor said the movement is at a “crossroads,“ and it must ”move from holding a particular patch of park to spreading the message of economic justice.”
But occupiers showed no signs of giving up the patch of park too easily.
Will Picard, who sat Saturday in a tent amid his artwork with a “notice of eviction” sign posted outside, said the main organizers and most occupiers he knows intend to stay.
“Their plan is to resist the closure of this encampment and if that means getting arrested so be it,” Picard said. “I think they just want to make the police tear it down rather than tear it down themselves.”
But some agreed with the mayor that the protest had run its course.
“I’m going,” said Luke Hagerman, who sat looking sad and resigned in the tent he’s stayed in for a month. “I wish we could have got more done.”
Villaraigosa expressed pride that Los Angeles has lacked the tension, confrontation and violence seen at similar protests in other cities. But that peace was likely to get its biggest test on Monday.
Ue Daniels, 21, said as an artist he’s “as nonviolent as they come” but he planned on resisting removal any way he could.
“I think we’ll comply as far as putting our tents on the sidewalk maybe, that‘s something that’s been going around.”
But as far as leaving altogether?
“They would probably have to drag me away,” he said.
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Comments (96)
cja23
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 3:16pmHow many millions of taxpayer dollars has it reached to protect the public from these anarchists? Meanwhile, back on the ranch, Obama is in full support of these dopes, only because he is “the rebel rouser-in-chief” behind the whole mess.
Report Post »cja23
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 3:11pmObama/Soros/Trumpka occupoopers haven’t got their new marching orders from the WH yet. What‘s Obama’s next instructions to the occupoopers.
Report Post »txbigfoot
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 4:04pmI say arrest them and then charge them with a % of the cost for all of this nonsense. An arrest and conviction equals 30K or what ever. Have a nice life.. oh you cant pay.. good then go to jail.
Report Post »John 1776
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 4:14pmThey should simply open a few fire hoses up. Not in spray mode, but just flood the lot and make it a muddy mess. Grass looks like it needs watering anyhow. Most would leave. A few would stay splashing in the mud. Those would be easy to spot and arrest and the “imaging” wouldn’t look good for the protesters unless their fans are into mud wrestling.
Report Post »PKama
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 5:20pmWhere are the police horses when you need them. There is not a crowd control method more effective than having the police officers ride in on horses and we will see these dirty low lives scatter on their own without the police officers getting themselves hurt.
Report Post »SomeRandomPerson
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 11:13pmI guess this is what people that don’t have a life do. Go home and get a job and a bath for crying out loud!!!
Report Post »AxelPhantom
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 3:08pmIn some occupy movements they have resorted to paying homeless people to occupy just so that it looks like there are some numbers. The occupation is dying out and if they don’t up the ante, it will go out with a wimper. Look for something to be done that will grab media attention, if not here, then somewhere soon.
Report Post »dmforman
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 3:37pmI agree. I am waiting for the violence to begin soon. They have realized that they are not making the impact that the Tea Party made and need to up the anty to get people to notice. I hope that they realize that violence is not going to sway people to their side and will hurt them further in many parts of America.
Report Post »StonyBurk
Posted on November 28, 2011 at 8:31amIn my opine -the “occupy” rabble are not Patriotic Americans but the army raised by the revolutionaries
Report Post »with dreams of Woodstock–and Janis Joplin ,and Marx,still motivating their movements.I like the idea of turning their “occupied” territory into a muddy swamp. I would also put up chain link fences surrounding their “occupied land” so none could come and go as they please. I wonder how much affect the arrests
will have given the state of our American Courts today. The catch and release stuff is fine if one is
fishing for sport but has no intent on benefit of feeding anybody -but it is crap for a nation that yet
pretends to be a nation of laws applied equally to all.
Dalady
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 3:05pmMaybe union thugs will show up to escalate tension like they did at the eviction of Occupy Toronto. I wouldn’t mind seeing a few of those goons get thumped.
NOBAMA 2012
Report Post »nelbert
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 3:03pmDon’t evict them. Cut the water and electricity to the area, wall it up and prevent them from ever leaving.
Report Post »CatB
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 3:51pmThey are squatters .. dirty ones at that .. doubt that would do anything except drive them into the local businesses even more .. that is who they are hurting. If they really gave a “d* mn” about what they claim they do they would be squatting outside the White House.
TEA!
Report Post »nelbert
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 3:01pmDon’t evict them. Cut the water and electricity to their area, wall it up and prevent them from ever leaving.
Report Post »Secessionista
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 2:58pmTell me again why we can’t use real bullets this time? And a sneak attack? You know, the same way we killed that US marine in Arizona?
Report Post »green_manalishi
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 6:43pmThe police have a secret weapon theyve been dieing to try, it called soap and water and its been proven to remove occupiers since time began. I hear there holding back a really nasty weapon that smells just like hard work but it kill 99% of occupiers
Report Post »bringiton
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 2:58pmIt’s California. The people voted in the govt. they deserve, even the “law abiding citizens” F them.
Report Post »convictobama
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 3:47pmHey man just bcuz we live in CA doesnt mean we drink the koolaide… Ca will go ble be patient, we are broke and infested with non tax payers we will wake up.
Report Post »convictobama
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 3:49pmHey I didnt vote for moonbeam jerry commie brown…
Report Post »garyM
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 2:51pmThe police need to get some high voltage cattle prods! Let them sit there as long as they can take the prod! Let PETA complain about being bad to the animals!
Report Post »jagr1850
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 2:51pmsend all those morons to visit 1600 pennsylvania ave for a big beer summit……problems solved !!!!
Report Post »Georgene
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 2:48pmWe should feel sorry for these poor uninformed fools. There they are doing the dirty work for Soros and Obama, ( the Socialist and the Muslim) trying to take our mind off the p poor job Obama is doing.
Report Post »drattastic
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 2:44pmAnybody want to wager that Villaraigosa will fold ?
Report Post »Eliasim
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 2:58pmNo, because you are probably right. This is all designed to make the police feel weak and ineffective in my opinion. To make a policeman think “I’m sick of being a policeman”, and as for when things become more difficult, and maybe perhaps police are financially struggling, then they will easily quit the force.
Report Post »drattastic
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 3:11pmPoliticians will order the police to enforce the law ,then turn on the police and order investigations as soon as the media starts crying foul. Politicians are the lowest form of life, well it’s a lively contest between politicians ,the press and lawyers. I don’t envy the police and the position they are in.
Report Post »LeadNotFollow
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 2:44pmIt’s time to break up their “block party”. Drag them away. They are spoiling the Holiday Season for the good, law abiding citizens.
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 2:42pmThose who leave willingly fine, those who remain at 12:01 a.m. then warn once, and move in right after that warning…all resistance is to be met with arrests.
Report Post »Unix
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 4:13pmLOL, all resistance is futile…I say we smoke em out, then scoop them up with front end loaders and drop off at the dump, that’s where they belong.
Report Post »Bro Geo Too
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 2:42pm`
If you know an Occupier/Squatter, please pass this along. It is the key to a brighter future. Thanks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAOrT0OcHh0&feature=feedu
Report Post »Arizona Don
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 3:16pmVery good I liked that. That is a perspective I had not considered before but I think it has merit. However, I do not think it would be that easy. Three and a half days may not be enough. But learn they should. I also think the future for these OWS’ers is going to provide much harder lessons, if obama is reelected, then prescribed in that video. Especially if they do manage to get their way, which I think is impossible or at least next to impossible.
The perception that these occupy “whatever” demonstrators have a single focus of any problem is
Report Post »ludicrous at best. There is no structure to their madness.
Thevoice
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 2:41pmWhy have them leave just fence them in …With a electric fence and guards not to let them out. . Hey their choice. No food no water nothing …Then see how prepared the Obama Occupy new age progressive communist are …
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 2:43pmIt would be a nice plan…however some of those bleeding heated, liberal progressive communist justices would side with the protesters.
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 2:37pmThey are all Guilty… of Stealing Money… by making the Local Government pay for their Clean Up, Destruction, and Security… as a Matter of Equity!
Report Post »momrules
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 2:37pmWhy should they feel as if they should leave? After all,they do have the Presidential Seal of Approval.
Report Post »truthseekerusa
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 2:33pmMayor should have shut them down on the first day they set up camp. Now he will be spending money on extra police that should be better spent on the thousands of poor people in LA, especially those who may not have enough money for food.
Report Post »netmail
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 2:32pmI smell a new protest song in the works: ‘Drag me Away’.
I am writing one myself now entitled: ‘OK, we will’.
(I’m dialing an oldie up by The Buckinghams, ‘Kind of
Report Post »a Drag’ for inspiration.)
seeker9
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 2:41pmReminds me of “They’re coming to take me away, ha ha”. Slightly altered it could be “They’re coming to drag me away, ha ha”.
Report Post »RightThinking1
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 6:00pmRofl…, you guys kill me.
Report Post »csinnm
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 2:29pmbuh bye!
Report Post »MJR
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 2:28pmI can’t wait for the next group to try the same thing, see if the city council will be treat them the same.
Report Post »war7412
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 2:28pmWell.Drag them AWAY then………….
Report Post »showmerancher
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 2:20pmWell now, here’s an opportunity where we can be accommodating. Y‘all hook ’em up and I‘ll drag ’em away with my 4X4.
Report Post »Uechi
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 2:19pmMy your wish come true, hopefully attached to a long length of rope on a semi and the other on your neck.
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