Police clear Occupy Cal encampment

[Newsjock]

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

Police in riot gear surprised campers with an early morning raid on the Occupy Cal encampment in Sproul Plaza today, arresting two protesters and removing about 20 tents.

Police surrounded the 40 or so campers at 3:30 a.m. in front of Sproul Hall, UC Berkeley's main administration building, and gave them 10 minutes to grab their gear and go. All but two did.

... Students were caught off guard by the swift and quiet approach of more than 100 officers from campus police, the Alameda County Sheriff's Department and the Newark Police Department. Their appearance caused a confused scramble, with students grabbing pillows, guitars and bicycles to avoid arrest.

... Campus officials had said they would not allow an Occupy encampment in Sproul Plaza like those that have been established in Oakland, San Francisco and other cities. The UC Berkeley protesters pitched their tents Tuesday night, and police regularly warned them through the day Wednesday that the tents had to go.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/11/17/BAC61M0GT7.DTL

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