At midnight on Tuesday night, hundreds of police officers swarmed Zuccotti Park, some dressed in full riot gear, to remove protesters and their belongings under orders of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who decided to evict Occupy Wall Street based on health and safety concerns.
Additional quotes from the mayor, obtained from The New York Times, also point to his disapproval of the movement on the whole. "New York City is the city where you can come and express yourself", said the mayor. “What was happening in Zuccotti Park was not that.”
The unexpected raid of Zucccotti Park resulted in over 200 people being arrested for disorderly conduct, refusing to leave the park and/or resisting arrest. In the videos below, you can hear the protesters myriad reactions, ranging from calm, softly spoken disbelief to screams of "I'm being peaceful", amidst incessant chants of "Shame on you!".
Shortly after 8 a.m. this morning, The National Lawyers Guild obtained an order from the court that ruled protesters would be allowed to return to the park following a hearing later today. Protesters have since returned to the park to find it barricaded and heavily guarded by police, who will not allow them to re-enter.
Just short of the movement's two month mark this Thursday, the OWS movement seems wholly unwilling to vacate their cause, despite losing the birthplace of the of the protest, as evidenced by their reactions in several videos below.
[via NY Times, Guardian and Think Progress]
