SEATTLE (AP) — Police escorted a Seattle Parks Department crew as it cleaned up the downtown Westlake Park Tuesday morning around the Occupy Seattle demonstrators.
The demonstrators defied a police order Monday night to leave when the park closed at 10 p.m., but there were no arrests.
Earlier Monday Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn urged the demonstrators to fight for jobs and justice. McGinn has also said the city needs to keep the park open for all and to lessen the impact of the demonstration on nearby businesses. He has urged demonstrators to move to City Hall.
The group follows the Occupy Wall Street demonstration in New York against corporate influence. It’s in its second week in Seattle. Two dozen demonstrators were arrested last Wednesday for refusing to remove tents from the park.
