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Four protesters in the Occupy Orange County movement were arrested last night when they tried to camp out in tents in Santa Ana's Civic Center. Police rode in on horses and made the arrests, after warning protesters that they would be arrested if they violated the city's anti-camping policy, according to the O.C. Register.
One of those arrested Anthony Velloza, 27, said he served two tours in Iraq with the Marines.
"I did not serve in Iraq advocating 'freedom' to return to a police-run state," wrote Velloza, 27, in his statement, according to the O.C. Register.
The others arrested for refusing to exit their tents included Shay Palmer, Timothy Craven and Osama Aresheh. They were released this morning, according to a reporter with the O.C. Register.
City officials and police had warned protesters that they could be arrested under the city's anti-camping ordinance. The Santa Ana policetold the O.C. Weekly on Friday that before the city can issue a permit for the group to camp, they need to obtain an insurance policy. They said they were working with the group to do that.
It's not clear what the next step is for Occupy O.C. The group has two factions — one in Irvine and one in Santa Ana, and it sounds like there is a little bit of tension between the groups. The groups have their own separate Facebook pages (here and here), Twitter accounts (here and here) and websites (here and here).
(The OC Register has an article about anti-establishment movements that have gone on behind the Orange Curtain.)
