Cities evicting Occupy camps

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BALTIMORE, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- Communities across the United States have ongoing efforts to evict Occupy protest encampments, officials say.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said Tuesday her city had been "respectful" in its handling of the Occupy Baltimore camp in a city square, The Baltimore Sun reported. Police woke about 40 people before the sun rose and told them to leave, offering rides to a homeless shelter.

Tents and other belongings were moved to a sanitation yard where protesters have until next week to retrieve them.

One protester said it was time to move on.

"You don't need to be at McKeldin Square," Cullen Nawalkowsky told the Sun. "You don't keep hammering on a tactic when a tactic is producing diminishing returns. The physical occupation is just one part of the broader movement."

In New Orleans, two men were arrested late Tuesday for failing to leave a park at curfew, the (New Orleans) Times-Picayune reported.

Boston prosecutors offered about 20 protesters a deal Tuesday: Dropping resisting arrest charges in exchange for guilty pleas to trespassing with a penalty of a year's probation, The Boston Globe said. Most took the deal, which usually included an order to stay away from Dewey Square.

Occupy Oakland protesters are trying to decide their next step after a successful blockade and shutdown at the port on Monday, the second in a few weeks. Critics, including some in the movement, say the port shutdowns have hurt longshoremen and truck drivers more than big business.