Occupy DC Evicted From Park Again

Police on Saturday removed Occupy Washington D.C. protesters from their site to enforce a no camping rule, according to media reports.

U.S. Park Police removed bedding, tents, and other items belonging to protesters from McPherson Square, which is located just a few blocks away from the White House, reported The Washington Post. Some of the police were clad in riot gear and some were on horseback.

“They can have the tents for symbolic purposes only. So long as there is compliance, we will have no issues,” Sgt. David Schlosser, a park police spokesperson, told the newspaper. “Their First Amendment rights are paramount.”

Demonstrators have been at the square since October to protest social inequality and corporate greed in the United States, as part of a wider movement that started with Occupy Wall Street.

“They pushed and beat us out,” 23-year-old protester Sam Jewler, who was evicted from McPherson Square, told Reuters.

Police told the news agency there have been eight arrests and one police officer was arrested on Saturday.