The Eugene City Council ordered police to evict Occupy Eugene protesters as soon as possible.
The Eugene City Council ordered police to evict Occupy Eugene protesters as soon as possible.
During an emergency meeting called by Mayor Kitty Piercy, councilors voted 5-2 to end the protest group’s permission to stay overnight in the park. Councilors Betty Taylor and George Brown dissented.
Piercy said she requested the meeting after learning that a man had suffered potentially life-threatening injuries in a fight there late Monday night. Police said the incident was one of five altercations they responded to in the encampment during a four-hour period.
The reported surge in violence “has caused me to see the wisdom in moving sooner,” Piercy said. Last week, councilors voted 5-3 to allow Occupy Eugene’s collection of homeless people and economic protesters to stay in the park until Jan. 11.
Police Chief Pete Kerns told councilors that a “thoughtful and deliberate approach” will be used to close the camp. He declined to reveal details of the plan, which he said has been developed during the past few weeks and still was being “refined” on Tuesday afternoon.
Read more at The Register-Guard.
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