Last Night: Occupy Seattle Protesters Kept Awake By Police, But No Arrests
Photo by Dikla Tuchman
No arrests were made last night, but the mayor's office makes no guarantees about today. For a more in-depth rundown, see our post from last night, which we updated live from staffers attending the protests, on-and-off live streams, and more.
The Twitter conversation for #OccupySeattle has shifted to mostly reflective of last night: how the SPD has given their "last warning," some posting photos, some listing us, along with Occupy Boston, Occupy St. Louis, and others, as one of the Occupy events under "police raid."
If nothing else, actions from city government last night raised questions about chains of command what, exactly, the city's message to those participating in Occupy Seattle is. Around 12:10 a.m., a representative of the Mayor's office told protestors that there would be no arrests, but they made no guarantees about today.
Police, while not making arrests, kept their lights on and broadcasted repeatedly that the park was closed. Some protestors responded, "why are you doing this?" -- and the running theory among many participants is that they were being kept awake on purpose. Some slept, others stayed awake, and some held up a tarp to help block police lights.
Despite the lights, and protestors using screens to block them, some officers spoke amiably with some Occupy participants.
At least one person was taken to the hospital for early signs of hypothermia. Since many protestors were sleeping on tarps with water pooling in them, and as the temperature dropped, it became more and more of a concern amongst those still in Westlake Park in the wee hours.
"Spirits are really high, our own Everett Rummage reported from the scene, "but people are furious at McGinn, and they blame him and the police for the discomfort and the danger."
Around 7:30 this morning, the Parks Department woke up protestors and began cleaning the park around them -- but still, no arrests. More bike cops have reportedly shown up, though, and apparently a plethora of large news trucks.
