The NYPD arrested 70 protesters as they moved in on Zuccotti Park early this morning and began clearing out the thousands of Occupy Wall Street protesters who had taken over the space for nearly two months.
More than 1,000 cops marched on the lower Manhattan encampment shortly before 1 a.m. and handed out fliers ordering demonstrators to get out and remove their personal property.
The cops were followed by Sanitation workers, one of whom was overheard saying, “We’re gonna disinfect the hell out of this place.”
The fliers read, “The city has determined that the continued occupation of Zuccotti Park poses an increasing health and fire safety hazard to those camped in the park, the city’s first responders, and to the surrounding community.
“You are required to immediately remove all property, including tents, sleeping bags and tarps.”That touched off a chaotic scene within the park, as many of the protesters were roused from their slumber and began shouting to others, “Wake up!”
The chaos was continuing this morning, as cops and protesters battled on Pine Street and Broadway at 5 a.m., with police pushing crowds out of the street and on to the sidewalk. Cops charged into the mob after a protester threw an object into a group of police.
At least one police officer was injured; he was seen being taken out of Zuccotti Park on a stretcher, his eyes closed and with several lacerations on his face.
Cops cut U-shaped bike locks off the necks of the last holdouts, who chained themselves together in the center of Zuccotti, witnesses said.
A roving group of several hundred ousted protesters marched north up Centre Street after the cleanup, clashing with police who in at least one case were seen using batons on a group crossing the street in a crosswalk and with a green light. A large crowd of protesters went north and are at Foley Square.
Police arrested at least 70 people in the early morning chaos, physically dragging many from the squalid encampment.
“What do you mean I’m done? What law did I break?” screamed a man as he was arrested and marched out of the park.
“I’m an anarchist, I’m not leaving this park,” said Asa Lowe, who was binding the hands of Amina Malika, 17, and Mesiah Hameed, 16, to a tree in the center of the park.
“I don’t give a f--k what they do,” said Hameed.
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