Tensions between Oakland’s police department and the city’s Occupy movement erupted once again in late January, as officers used tear gas on a group of over 1,000 protesters who were throwing rocks and tearing down fences. In all, about 100 protesters were arrested on charges of failing to disperse.
Camps in Miami, Pittsburgh, Charlotte (North Carolina) and Portland (Maine) among other cities were either in the process of being cleared, or had already been vacated as PN went to press.
However, in Washington DC, a judge stopped what had appeared to be an imminent eviction, telling city officials that they could not simply remove camps without properly notifying occupiers, something that had occurred in many cities over the past two months.
In Chicago and Des Moines (Iowa), Occupy groups have rented office space. Although the Occupy movement lacks a permanent camp in New York, general assemblies now occur in 14 different neighbourhoods around the city.