Just hours after local residents protested against Occupy Wall Street, New York Police Department officers are moving into Zuccotti Park, clearing activists (temporarily) and their tents (permanently) from the site.
Police have donned riot gear and have apparently prepared special equipment, including a Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD), for possible use in confrontations with activists.
Live feed at Breitbart.tv, and another live feed below:
An aerial view is available here.
NBC New York reports:
Hundreds of police officers, some in riot gear, descended on Zuccotti Park after midnight Tuesday in a surprise sweep of the Occupy Wall Street headquarters.
It comes just two days ahead of a massive planned demonstration Thursday marking the movement’s two-month anniversary.
Police handed out letters to protesters ordering them to temporarily evacuate the park. Police said the eviction will improve health conditions.
Campers were ordered to remove all their tents. Police claimed it was a health issue.
Protesters were told they will be allowed to return to the park in several hours, after the park is inspected, but without their property, which will be brought to a sanitation garage.
On Twitter, stunned activists are calling for crowds to descend to the park to confront police and protest.
UPDATE (2:16 am EST): Activists gather their property and leave, as police remove remaining tents and equipment. An onlooker accuses officers of “complete disregard for personal belongings.”
UPDATE 2 (2:24 am EST): Twitter users claim media have been barred from the area of Zuccotti Park; the Occupy Wall Street live feed above may be one of the only sources of live images. Here is another nearby live feed:
UPDATE 3 (2:40 am EST): Thus far the NYPD’s careful tactics have apparently succeeded in clearing Zuccotti Park. Activists are regrouping in nearby streets, and may attempt to return tomorrow or to court arrest, but for many of the activists, the party seems over.