Occupy Philly and LA Camps Raided, Evicted at Midnight, Hundreds Arrested: Photos, Videos

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By Sarah Seltzer, AlterNet
Posted on November 30, 2011, Printed on December 1, 2011
http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/741424/occupy_philly_and_la_camps_raided%2C_evicted_at_midnight%2C_hundreds_arrested%3A_photos%2C_videos

Last night, in the same kind of secretive late-night actions we've seen elsewhere, police raided end evicted Occupy Philadelphia and Occupy Los Angeles.
Although the proceedings were largely peaceful compared to say, tear gas and pepper-spray, there were stiill major issues for civil liberties--in particular in LA. The LAPD played the same tricks with credentialing media organizations that the NYPD had done previously, allowing only certain journalists to cover the eviction. Lisa Derrick at Firedoglake has more details on that:

Monday night at 7:15 PT, the Los Angeles Police Department held a lottery to decide which media could be credentialed for the LAPD Occupy LA media pool, in anticipation of the next raid. According to a mainstream media source who was there, the LAPD only wanted to allow one media outlet per medium (print, radio, television), but was persuaded to allow three of each...

On Twitter, @ProgresivTeachr Brian Jones tweeted: "Actual quote from KCAL9, "We made an agreement with LAPD to not give away their tactics." AGAINST PEACEFUL PROTESTERS! #OccupyLA #OLAraid"
The report from The Guardian announces over 200 arrests in LA:

In Los Angeles around 1,400 officers wearing riot gear and biohazard suits were moving members of Occupy Los Angeles after they ignored a Monday deadline to leave the area.
Protesters moved into the City Hall park on 1 October and, within weeks, their encampment had grown to include 500 tents and up to 800 full-time residents. But numbers fell last week after the Los Angeles mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa, issued an ultimatum, telling them to move out at the beginning of this week or face eviction.

And a handful in Philadelphia:

In Philadelphia, police began pulling down tents at about 1:20am (EST) after giving demonstrators three warnings that they would have to leave, which nearly all of the protesters followed. Dozens of demonstrators then marched through the street until they were stopped by police.

Philadelphia police commissioner Charles Ramsey said breaking up the camp in the early hours helped minimise disruption to businesses and traffic.

Six protesters were arrested after remaining on a street that police tried to clear.

A video of words exchanged between protesters and mounted police in Philadelphia:
Photos from the AFP of LA--for Philadelphia photos, click here:

Police arrive to evict protesters from the Occupy Los Angeles camp near City Hall. Hundreds of riot police flooded into downtown Los Angeles and Philadelphia early Wednesday to clear anti-Wall Street protest camps in mostly peaceful operations that saw dozens arrested.

Members of Los Angeles Police Department process two arrested Occupy LA protesters at their camp outside City Hall. Hundreds of riot police flooded into downtown Los Angeles and Philadelphia early Wednesday to clear anti-Wall Street protest camps in mostly peaceful operations that saw dozens arrested.

Members of the Occupy LA group protest as police raid the Occupy Los Angeles campsite. Hundreds of riot police flooded into downtown Los Angeles and Philadelphia early Wednesday to clear anti-Wall Street protest camps in mostly peaceful operations that saw dozens arrested.

Members of Occupy LA hold signs and candles outside City Hall in Los Angeles. Hundreds of riot police flooded into downtown Los Angeles and Philadelphia early Wednesday to clear anti-Wall Street protest camps in mostly peaceful operations that saw dozens arrested.

Anti-Wall Street demonstrators take to the streets prior to being raided by police near City Hall in downtown Los Angeles. Police arrested more than 200 anti-Wall Street protesters in downtown Los Angeles in an early morning raid Wednesday that cleared out hundreds from the two-month old encampment.

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AlterNet: Occupy Philly and LA Camps Raided, Evicted at Midnight, Hundreds Arrested: Photos, Videos