Occupy group leaves quietly
PITTSBURGH — A judge on Monday issued what appeared to be the final eviction order for the Occupy Pittsburgh protestors.
Judge Christine Ward ordered the county sheriff to evict protestors and their belongings from a downtown park owned by Bank of New York Mellon after Sheriff William Mullen had asked for that specific order. Last week Ward ordered the protesters to voluntarily leave the camp by noon Monday, but about a dozen tents remained after the deadline. Most tents and belongings were removed from the park without incident over the weekend.
But some protestors suggest they might nonviolently resist eviction from the park. Occupy Pittsburgh protesters held a rally at noon and slowly dismantled tents around the downtown park, but there were no police officers in sight at that time.
Douglas Shields, a former Pittsburgh City Council member who attended the rally, said that local officials, law enforcement and business leaders decided on a low-key approach to the protests.
“They chose not to push the issue, like they did in New York City, and Oakland,” Shields said, adding that was a “good thing” for Pittsburgh.
Several protestors said the movement will continue, but didn't provide specifics.
