Or else what? — More coddling?
Via Politico:
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa says Occupy LA protesters must leave their encampment on the lawn of City Hall by 12:01 a.m. Monday.
The mayor and police Chief Charlie Beck announced the planned ouster at a Friday afternoon news conference.
The mayor praised the protest and its aims but said the camp of about 485 tents is unsustainable and City Hall Park needs to be cleaned and restored.
Elected city leaders initially embraced the campers and the deadline to leave is a tactic that stands in stark contrast to middle-of-the-night police raids in other cities. Villaraigosa handed out plastic ponchos one rainy day. The City Council passed a resolution to support Occupy LA. Officials found an alternate site for a farmers market that the camp displaced.
But as Occupy Los Angeles entered its seventh week with no end in sight, the dialogue started getting strained.