Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed has issued an executive order giving Occupy Atlanta protesters five days to vacate Woodruff Park.
“I am committed to protecting the public and ensuring that the laws of the city are respected,” Reed said in a statement, according to the AJC. “I will not allow public safety to be jeopardized in any way by the protesters. So far, all of their actions have been peaceful and nonviolent.”
Mayor Reed’s announcement comes after several days in which city officials weighed their options.
The five day deadline to clear out of the Woodruff Park allows protesters to stay in the park until the adjournment of the Atlanta City Council meeting on Monday. Those meetings typically end in the late afternoon.
What happens then remains unclear, but Occupy Atlanta organizers and protesters have long said that they are willing to be arrested, so a confrontation with police doesn’t seem out of the realm.
Yesterday I witnessed a crowd of protesters in Woodruff rehearsing several scenarios of police confrontation and demonstrating how to act if you are arrested or apprehended by law enforcement.
What do you think about Occupy Atlanta and the other Occupy movements around the country that have been influenced by Occupy Wall Street? Is Mayor Reed doing the right thing by telling protesters to vacate Woodruff Park in 5 days? Share your thoughts below!
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