An Occupy Riverside protester is taken into custody Wednesday after refusing to leave her tent following an order by Riverside police to vacate the site in downtown Riverside. Most protestors complied with the request. KURT MILLER/THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE
RIVERSIDE — Police forced Occupy Riverside protesters to abandon their makeshift campsite on the downtown pedestrian mall Wednesday in a mostly peaceful operation.
Shortly after 6 a.m., about 100 Riverside police officers clad in riot gear flooded the area near Main Street and University Avenue, ordering the occupiers to take down their tents and leave.
The encampment of a couple dozen tents and about as many people was set up within a week of police breaking up a camp at the same location, established in mid-October.
Three people were arrested on accusations of being public nuisances and resisting arrest after ignoring officers' commands to leave, police said.
They were cited and released from custody a short time later, while their gear was confiscated as evidence, according to Riverside police Capt. Chris Manning.
“We are obligated to ensure the public space is maintained to allow use by all our community members,” he said. “The presence of this property limited the general public's use of the space. The removal was in furtherance of this goal.”
Some of the dispersed occupiers went to another camp in the parking lot of the Service Employees International Union Local 721 headquarters at 4336 Market St. Others vowed to return to the downtown mall.
City officials have said that, although they respect the occupiers' constitutional right to free speech, they cannot condone taking up residence on a public right of way, which violates a city ordinance.
The measure specifies that “no person shall occupy any portion of a public way or public place so as to obstruct or interfere with the flow of pedestrian or vehicular traffic.”
The occupiers' tents have generally been on the center of the mall, under trees, leaving a large portion of the walkway clear. The area is fronted by two eateries, a bank and three museums affiliated with the city and the University of California, Riverside.
On Nov. 6, police forcibly removed around 40 occupiers from the downtown
mall. The protesters at tempted to protect their tents by forming a human chain around them. Officers arrested several people, including one man police said threw a bottle.
The Sunday afternoon clash led to claims of excessive use of force.
Police Chief Sergio Diaz said officers reacted appropriately.
The latest eviction comes five days after the start of the Mission Inn Hotel and Spa's annual Festival of Lights.
The city partners in the event, which draws tens of thousands of visitors to the downtown area for ice-skating, carriage rides and a look at more than 3.6 million holiday lights strewn around the hotel.
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