One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
City Prepares to Evict Occupy LA Site, But Protesters May Not Go Peacefully
Photo of a park hours sign posted yesterday by @gburge via Twitpic
City officials and law enforcement seem to be in prep mode for delivering the expected eviction notice to the Occupy LA protesters who have lived on the City Hall lawn since October 1. Signs posted in City Hall Park yesterday by officers from the city's General Services Police Department indicate that the park's hours are 5 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
On Wednesday night, the LAPD established a text message alert system dedicated to Occupy LA. Interested subscribers can text OLA999 to 888-777 to receive the LAPD alerts. Thursday afternoon, an alert was sent out: "LAPD-CENTRAL: To OLA, LAPD has no plan to Evict OLA demonstrators tonight (11/24). Signs being posted in preparation for next week."
In response, Occupy LA protesters are urging the public to act by contacting the mayor's office and the LAPD to express opposition to the pending eviction.
Details about the planned eviction still remain unclear, at least to the participants. Per notes taken during discussions between city representatives and Occupy LA members, Matt Szabo, spokesperson for Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, stated: "The mayor WILL CLOSE THE PARK NEXT WEEK."
More notes from that meeting include Szabo saying the following:
We’ll continue to be as open and honest as we can possibly be Difficulty: we wanted to move this forward in a productive way… the issue of whether or not the park is open or closed is NOT A NEGOTIATION
The city has a right to close the park
Some would argue there is a responsibility to enforce the closing
All the issues we’ve been discussing are still on the table, but the closing of the park WILL HAPPEN
Sponsored message
Here's the thing: Occupy LA and City Hall are a few blocks from Skid Row - where tens of thousands of people have been sleeping in tents for decades on the streets. And somehow the mayor - a Democrat - whose managed to do little (and little right) is going to split hairs and try to kick out protesters angry about extreme wealth inequality? This is what you call Tony's golden touch and it's about to meet Occupy. This will go well.
There are murmurings among the Occupy LA participants and supporters that they will not go peacefully.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
