Occupy protesters in Los Angeles are hoping for a federal court injunction to prevent their eviction from a camp near City Hall. Protesters claim a deadline to disperse is “an unconstitutional deprivation of access to a traditional public forum, the south lawn of City Hall, for First Amendment activity.” The city has an “anti-camping” provision, which protesters point out is left to the whim of police. Black Friday shoppers have been known to camp out ahead of time to secure deals, and recently 500 movie fans camped on sidewalks several days ahead of the “Breaking Dawn” premiere.
“Each of these ‘camping’ events is highly publicized in the media, takes place in highly-trafficked areas and could not possibly be an unnoticed and unintentional exception to enforcement of the municipal code,” the complaint documents stated. Protesters rallied together on Monday, defying a 12:01 a.m. deadline to disperse. Four arrests were made, but then police drew back.
