‘Occupy’ protesters arrested in Justin Herman Plaza

Police in riot gear arrested five Occupy SF protesters in Justin Herman Plaza overnight after officers ordered the group to remove tents and not set up camp in the plaza.

Protesters and observers began tweeting about 10:30 p.m. Sunday night that police had announced they would be clearing the plaza. After midnight, officers moved in, dismantling tents and arresting protesters.

OccupySF posted their own account of the arrests:

” Tonight the San Francisco Police Department came because we had our tarps up to protect our property. Laptops for uploading, batteries for power, clothing, bedding, our food and everything else that we hold dear for living. The police came and asked us to remove them. We refused to do so and they ripped them down. DPW was called and the police began to dismantle our camp piece by piece. They came in riot gear; full face shields and batons. We thought they were only going to take down the tarps but that was not to be.”