As demonstrators around the country continue their efforts to protest corporate greed via the Occupy Wall Street Movement, protesters taking part in Occupy Los Angeles have found troubles with the law. Wednesday morning, more than 1,400 police officers cleared camp from park surrounding City Hall, arresting nearly 300 people who refused to leave the grounds.
Occupy Los Angeles Protesters Forcibly Removed
After a night of preparations from the Los Angeles police department, law enforcement raided Occupy LA camp grounds, a 500-tent encampment, to clear the area after a court ordered for the protesters’ eviction. Campers intended to defend the camp, which had barricaded entrances to the park with trash cans.
As told to CBS News by Gia Trimble, a member of the Occupy LA media team, a lot of people were committed to the cause and planned to stay, risking arrest. “This is a monumental night for Los Angeles,” she said. “We’re going to do what we can to protect the camp.”
Some protesters were prepared with gas masks and medics were on site in anticipation of the raid. In the end, nearly 300 were arrested with no reports of injuries.
Is the Occupy Movement Making a Difference?
With arrests in Los Angeles, as well as 52 arrests in Philadelphia, some may wonder whether the movement is actually worth the fight.
Since Sept. 17, when hundreds first gathered in lower Manhattan to take part in Occupy Wall Street, cities around the United States–and even countries around the world–have started their own protests to express their disappointment in the state of the U.S. banking system and economy, the lack of government intervention in corporate greed and the nation’s financial impact on the rest of the world.
It’s apparent protestors believe in their own cause and even some lawmakers agree that enough has not been done to correct the state of the economy; the debt committee’s recent failure to reduce the nation’s debt by $1.2 trillion, as intended, is proof that the government has a difficult time working together.
Occupy LA leaders say, despite eviction and arrests, their movement will continue. There are currently discussions in the works with organizations in other cities to unify efforts.
