MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – About 10 Occupy Minneapolis protesters sat on Nicollet Mall with hands bound Saturday night after police arrested them following an evening of moving protests.
Police arrested the protesters near the 9th Street intersection shortly after 11 p.m. The exact number of protesters arrested and the reason for their arrest is not yet known.
Earlier in the night, protesters moved off Peavey Plaza following a short, verbal confrontation with police. Protesters had planned to camp out in the plaza until winter. Officers told protesters they were violating a public nuisance law and couldn’t have their tents in the plaza because they blocked entry to the plaza and the Minnesota Orchestra.
In response, the protesters — walked with their tents in hand — to Loring Park, where another group of Occupy protesters had organized.
After the meeting in park, the protesters walked back to Peavey Plaza, where police told them they still couldn’t put up their tents. The protesters then abandoned the effort to retake the plaza and took to the streets.
The protesters tweeted at Minneapolis police saying: “Gonna give us the plaza, or are we going to march all night?”
At 10:55 p.m., the protesters said they were on the move again. They tweeted: “Crowd drowning out MPD eviction announcement, headed back to the streets….Whose streets? OUR STREETS[.]”
Minutes later, the protesters tweeted about the arrests.
Officers could be seen on Nicollet Mall with protesters’ dissembled tents.
(credit: CBS)
