New Occupy Oakland camp rousted

OAKLAND, Calif., Dec. 29 (UPI) -- Oakland, Calif., police dismantled a new Occupy Oakland camp after the owner of the fenced-off property asked authorities to clear the area, officials said.

Police cleared more than a dozen tents and protesters from the latest Occupy Oakland encampment in West Oakland, citing and releasing 14 people and arresting one person for trespassing, the Oakland Tribune reported Thursday.

It was unclear how long the camp was in operation because it had been hidden behind a fence covered with slats and graffiti, officials said.

Since police dismantled Occupy Oakland's original tent city near City Hall in mid-November, the protesters have tried to establish a new base for the cause and a new encampment for the homeless who gravitated to the movement. However, authorities tore down the camps almost as quickly as they were set up.

Brian Collins, an owner of the property where the latest encampment was, said he learned of the encampment Wednesday and took "the appropriate steps to ask them to leave peacefully," the San Francisco Chronicle reported Thursday.

"The property owner requested that Oakland police go in and remove the protesters from the property," Oakland police spokeswoman Johnna Watson said. "That's what we are doing."

One organizer said the site was to be a drug- and alcohol-free "winter camp" and "safe haven" for homeless people and activists.

In Washington, Occupy DC protesters were developing plans for several rallies once Congress returns in mid-January, Roll Call said.

"A lot of people took time to go home and rejuvenate during the holidays," said Kelly Canavan, a volunteer working at an information tent Wednesday. "But a number of people stayed. And we expect an influx of people from all over the country in January."

Canavan said she and others involved in Occupy DC were planning several rallies for January, including an "Occupy Congress" Jan. 17, "Occupy the Courts" Jan. 20 and a multi-city event Jan. 24.