Mayor Villaraigosa and Police Chief Beck hold Press Conference

01/01

Caption

Los Angeles Mayor Anthony Villaraigosa and LAPD Chief Charles Beck hold brief post OccupyLA raid press conference.

In the aftermath of a tactical raid and subsequent clearing out of OccupyLA, Mayor Villaraigosa and LA Police Department Chief Beck gave brief statements in a press conference in front of City Hall. Los Angeles, USA. 30th November 2011

LAPD staged hundreds of squad cars, dozens of buses for transporting the 1400 police officers to and from the raid in the parking lot at Dodger Stadium minutes from LA Downtown, City Hall and OccupyLA.

The first bus loaded with forty or so officers departed for City Hall approximately 8:30pm to begin the tactical approach to OccupyLA.

Groups of helmeted officers could be seen approaching within blocks of City Hall from all sides for the next several hours. A perimeter had been formed, by 9:30pm.

The raid began at 12:30am when an "unlawful assembly" had been declared, police were very edgy on the Main St side of City Hall and many protesters were forcibly shoved off the sidewalks. 262 were arrested, most peacefully.

Several protesters held out after the 500 or so had been cleared in what they had dubbed Solidarity Park. In acts of civil disobedience thirty or so formed a human chain by linking arms and several climbing trees until they were forcibly removed by LAPD.

Four protesters and one dog were removed from the tree house just outside City Hall's south entrance to end the present stand taken by OccupLA.

"We'll be back tomorrow" many exclaimed as they were taken away to be processed on LAPD buses.