#OccupyLA Protesters: “We Won — At Least For Another Day”
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As the sun came up Monday morning, many Occupy L.A. protesters were in a good mood, pleased simply to still be camped in front of City Hall hours after it became officially illegal to do so.
Mark Lipman, 43, took to higher ground, securing himself with rope to a magnolia tree to make it as difficult as possible for police to detain him.
In his perch, fully equipped with food and a sleeping bag, he posted a sign that said, “We are united. We are not leaving.”
“We saw the light come up,” he said, “and it was like we won — at least for another day.”
But not all protesters were as pleased with the ways things unfolded Monday morning.
Brian Flores, 25, has been camped for about a month with a chicken he named Red Zen. He echoed a common sentiment among protesters, that “too much tax dollars were spent on one directive,” in reference to the large police presence.
That complaint aside, many protesters praised police for their nonviolent handling of the situation. Some even urged LAPD officers to join their cause.
The city had set 12:01 a.m. Monday as the deadline for when the encampment would became illegal. Police ordered protesters to clear the streets about 5 a.m. and arrested four people when they refused to leave.
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