City Hall, New York City – One month after protesters began their occcupation outside of New York City Hall, uniformed officers in riot gear moved in to clear out tents and occupiers early this morning, July 22.
Police said that at around 3:30AM they announced to occupants that they had 10 minutes to clear the area. Then starting at around 3:40AM, police with shields and helmets moved in to clear City Hall Park, the community and unhoused population who have been occupying the space since June 23. The NYPD made a human wall and pushed through repeating, “move back!” After the tents were removed, people were allowed to collect their belongings from the park. Reports of about 7 arrests as of earlier this morning.
Last night, someone set ablaze a pile of garbage outside of the Occupy City Hall area. Protesters told us that the arsonist was not part of their group. We’re still unsure if this incident has anything to do with the decision by the NYPD to clear the park.
This all comes just 13 hours after Mayor de Blasio said he will take a hands-off approach to this situation.
The area will be locked down over the next few days for cleaning, said police.
📹 By Daniel Valls (FNTV freedomnews.tv)
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