Occupy Santa Rosa Campers Without Permits Forced Out
SANTA ROSA (CBS SF) -- People without permits to camp at the Occupy Santa Rosa site at City Hall were ordered Thursday to leave immediately or be arrested.
Two Santa Rosa police officers are at the site at Santa Rosa Avenue and First Street, but they would not say when arrests could occur.
"The order is effective immediately," one of the officers said.
About 80 tents remain on two lawns at City Hall. Several still have a "notice of violation and demand to cease violations" attached to them.
The notice, distributed by the city, is dated Thursday.
Those who have the permits to camp that were issued by the city manager's office on Tuesday have the paper permit, along with their photos, names and addresses, attached to their tents as required by the city.
Ben Browner, an Occupy Santa Rosa member, said 28 permits were issued to 40 people on Tuesday. Each permit was for a specific tent.
Browner said many Occupy Santa Rosa members did not apply for the camping permits because of the conditions the city imposed.
Those included the requirement that campers submit a photo and their names and addresses. He said campers also had expected the city to issue about 100 permits, but that the city only planned to give out 51.
Santa Rosa city officials intended to distribute more permits Thursday but canceled those plans when Occupy Santa Rosa members announced Wednesday that they would not abide by the camping permit conditions.
On Thursday afternoon, some of the protesters are taking down their tents, while others are removing pots and pans, plastic containers and wooden pallets from the area where food had been distributed.
A march was scheduled for 2 p.m., but no one appeared to be gathering for the march at that time.
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