City Takes Action, Clears Out Occupy Protesters’ Site

December 20, 2011 5:00 PM

Police moved in and the city of Denver cleared out the Occupy Denver protest site early in the morning on Dec. 20. (credit: CBS)

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Local, News, Syndicated Local

DENVER (CBS4) – Denver’s new police chief took action overnight and authorized the removal of all of the stuff Occupy Denver protesters have been leaving on the sidewalk in Civic Center Park.

Officers moved in with riot gear on just before midnight and firefighters and city cleanup crews were on hand as Broadway was closed while the action took place.

One or two protesters set some of the items on fire and crews had to work to extinguish the flames. Four people were arrested, and authorities had to make sure no one was left in the makeshift dwellings the protesters have been living in and sleeping in.

Heavy city equipment then scooped up the sleeping bags, tarps and trash and removed it. Some bulldozers crushed some of the items at the scene.

Early on Tuesday morning there was no one at the Occupy Denver site, the first time in more than two months the section of Civic Center Park has been empty.

The effort came after Chief Robert White met with protesters for almost an hour Monday night and gave his second warning that they needed to remove all of their stuff.

“We certainly value their First Amendment rights, and we’re not trying to infringe on their First Amendment rights, but we also value the rights of the other citizens that live in our community and we want to make sure those rights are protected as well,” White said early Tuesday morning at the scene of the cleanup.

White said he thought the police and other city officials “did an excellent job” overnight.

Civic Center Park was trashed in the past week. The new sod has been trampled and the sandstone is covered in graffiti. There was also trash thrown in the trees, including a kayak.

Mayor Michael Hancock, Manager of Safety Alex Martinez, and Chief White defended the city’s actions, saying they’d warned Occupy Denver repeatedly.

“We’ve been very consistent and firm, ‘Please do not set up structures. If you do we’re going to have you take them down, or we’re going to take them down,’ ” Hancock said.

And next time White indicated they wouldn’t be so patient.

“If it goes up today, it goes down today,” White said.

See some of the images below from the protest site cleanup effort, or check out the full photo gallery.

occupy denver cleanup 24 City Takes Action, Clears Out Occupy Protesters Site

Police moved in and the city of Denver cleared out the Occupy Denver protest site early in the morning on Dec. 20. (credit: CBS)

occupy denver cleanup 20 City Takes Action, Clears Out Occupy Protesters Site

Police moved in and the city of Denver cleared out the Occupy Denver protest site early in the morning on Dec. 20. (credit: CBS)

occupy denver cleanup 7 City Takes Action, Clears Out Occupy Protesters Site

Police moved in and the city of Denver cleared out the Occupy Denver protest site early in the morning on Dec. 20. (credit: CBS)

occupy denver cleanup 1 City Takes Action, Clears Out Occupy Protesters Site

Police moved in and the city of Denver cleared out the Occupy Denver protest site early in the morning on Dec. 20. (credit: CBS)

Simeon Ide

Good morning. Welcome to your police state.

Another loser comment above

You must live in the suburbs and have no real clue on what is going on down here.

We forgive your ignorance.

Ezzy

From the comments:Unless a bank is cetvoraoipe, or some sort of credit union, the movement is realizing there is no legitimacy left in saying you care for your customers. Despite any genuine sentiment on the part of entrepreneurs or business person—despite any classic economic theories, optimistic business mantras or new age idioms—good intentions, promises and slogans are just not enough anymore.

Steve

You’re right Simone. How dare people who are trying to get to work to pay more than their fair share of taxes for people who don’t want to work want to not see the eyesore on Broadway. It would be different if the Occupy people actually had a clear and defined message. The City has spent how many hundreds of thousands of dollars on this? How many truly needy citizens in Denver will have to go without help because of the Occupy expense?
Ty Christopher Carreon

I say vigilante justice against all DPD !

@Ty

Because thats where the problem lies, right Ty? How about vigilant justice against uneducated morons like you?
Jalal

Hey; usually, when you have the title, her mseajty, you are out front. That is if it is safe and no possible cause to think otherwise. When you have years of experience of egging things on, and not personally involved, it is not hard to go along for the ride. may even be some votes there back home. Besides, it did gt her some coverage with someone. Gotta feed the ego, you know.

B.I. G. Johnson

What took so long? Hick let them stay over a “jurisdictional” question, More than like;y funding them at the same time through the “Chinook” fund.

Hizzoner with the “P.R.” firm let the new token Chief look like the hero, or villian depending on your point of view.. Some of these posters advocating violence against DPD.. I`d buy a ticket to watch that,, Commies gettin` they butts whooped!
Occupy People Are Losers

Good riddance you socialist class warfare tools created by your incompetant leader hussein obama.

These losers (endorsed by obama) continually broke the law. No permit for starters, Drug use, drug distribution, sexual assault, public masturbation, public intoxication, assaulitng a police officer, splicing into city electricty, assault, urinating and defecating in public and on police cars, the list goes on….

Here is an idea – try doing something productive and something that will benefit yourself and society in a positive manner rather than being a pile of human waste on the street. 99% of the time these lazy idiots dont even hold up signs in protest but rather lay around in thier own filth on Broadway like the worthless flesh they are.

Get out of Denver – you have cost the tax payers enough, are ruining a nice park and represent nothing. Most can barely finish a complete sentence.

RESPECT for ALL

Wake up! Stop allowing the media’s depiction of this movement and the people that are in it distort your image of what is truly going on. A few bad seeds cannot account for the entirety! I for one support certain aspects of the movement. I work 60+ hours a week, do not endorse Obama or any sort of “Socialist” (in fact, I’m more likely to vote Republican/Libertarian) and can say that from my experience of being down at the rallies, I have not once committed a single one of those criminal acts that you listed, nor has anyone I know that frequents these rallies. Your blinded by a hate for people that you’ve never met. You do not understand their lives, where they come from, why they are protesting! So why must you cut and paste these intolerant assumptions onto everyone that has any involvement with this what so ever?

@Respect

The media has nothing to do with it. These people are lazy degenerates looking for a handout.

And how can anyone understand what they are protesting if they cant even articulate a sentence without profanity or threats of violence?

Wake up!

Zika

As usual Pelosi ignores or fails to awogkcledne the fact that she is where and who she is as a direct result of the corporate greed her husband being a capitalist of the highest order if I recall, she got legislation passed when she was the Speaker that would exclude US Possession Samoa from legislation regulating corporations .her husband being a significant stockholder in Chicken of the Sea (I believe -its one of the big tuna canneries anyway) based on Samoa, which if I’m not mistaken relegated their employees (the working man as the Left likes to call them) to 2nd class status ..and enhanced the profit position of her husband’s company .I do believe the Wall Street Occupiers are possibly smarter than she and perhaps even we realize .many of them during interviews have expressed Anti Obama/Democrats sentiments..

Swati

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