The deadline was midnight last night, that was the time the mayor wanted the Occupiers in Portland gone. But instead of doing what Mayor Sam Adam wanted, the crowed of thousands did a countdown to the midnight hour and then partied like it was 1999.
Police stood by.
As the hours went by and the sun began to rise, Occupiers declared victory. The night however, was not without incident, as one individual decided to disregard the Occupiers’ wishes to stay peaceful.
Around 2 a.m., an announcement over the PA system warned protesters to clear the street, and someone threw a projectile, injuring a police officer. But the occupiers—who had collectively made it clear that their resistance would be nonviolent—found the offender and turned him over to police. Tensions cooled somewhat after that, and for the next few hours, the police focused on controlling the crowd, which successfully held the park. A few hours later, as the sun began to rise and the parks were legally opened, protesters declared victory.
