Occupy Austin is the latest part of the Occupy movement to be evicted, but its members say they’re staying committed to its activist causes. Austin Police officers cleared out the encampment at City Hall late Friday night, Feb. 3, enforcing new regulations about plaza use drafted by the office of City Manager Marc Ott.
The eviction did not go smoothly. Seven protesters were arrested for criminal trespass, and Jordan Michael Walsh has been charged with criminal assault. Occupy has countered that APD used excessive force during the eviction process and continued to follow Occupiers even after they had broken camp and dispersed. On Feb. 6, the group issued a list of concerns and demands, arguing that Ott does not have the authority to unilaterally rewrite the rules about who can use the plaza and when. Meanwhile, though the physical occupation is over, the group is staying active. In recent weeks, its members have taken an increasingly active role in the protests against the deal between Austin ISD and IDEA Public Schools and have begun lobbying City Council to pass tougher labeling on food containing genetically modified organisms. See “Occupy Austin Evicted,” Newsdesk blog, Feb. 4.
This article appears in February 10 • 2012.
