UPDATED: Jan. 23, 1:32 a.m.

Seven members of Occupy Syracuse were arrested Thursday morning when police arrived to evict the protestors from Perseverance Park, nearly two days after Mayor Stephanie Miner told them to leave because they violated city fire codes.

After standing for 110 days, the occupiers’ tents were taken down by police at about 3:30 a.m. Thursday. Those arrested were charged with not having a permit required for a temporary structure, according to an article in The Post-Standard.

Miner told the campers on Tuesday at 8 a.m. they had 24 hours to leave the park. Occupiers refused to evacuate and drew a crowd of more than 50 people at 7 a.m. Wednesday. After the 8 a.m. deadline had passed without the police coming to the scene, people began to believe the police would arrive later in the evening unannounced to forcibly remove occupiers.

‘When the police notified those in custody of the charges, it was the first time any city official mentioned the need to obtain a permit for tents at Occupy Syracuse,’ according to an Occupy Syracuse press release.

Occupiers remained true to the movement’s mission and were not violent when police showed up, according to the article.

Although authorities removed the campers from the park, Occupy Syracuse is not over.

A General Assembly meeting in Perseverance Park was held Thursday at 6:30 p.m. by the occupiers to discuss how to move forward from their eviction, according to the press release.

On Friday, the protestors took part in a national Occupy the Courts action outside of the federal court building on South Clinton Street. The members of Occupy held a press conference at 1 p.m.

During Occupy the Courts, members launched a petition to get the Syracuse Common Council to support a constitutional amendment declaring that corporations are not people, according to a Jan. 20 article in The Post-Standard.

During the action, about 40 Occupy supporters listened to speeches and carried signs criticizing the high court’s ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, according to the article. The case affirmed that corporations are people and the First Amendment prohibits government from restricting how much money can be spent by corporations and unions for political purposes, something the movement has been fighting since its conception.

Although the tents are gone, a few Occupy members continue to sleep in Perseverance Park. Police spokesman Sgt. Tom Connellan said though a sign posted on Thursday now bars people from sleeping in Perseverance Park, the department’s biggest concern was that no one pitched tents or brought in furniture, according to the article.

Ryan O’Hara, one of the members who spent the night in the park, said Occupy members will continue to sleep there ‘as long as people are willing and able.’ He said the group is also trying to find space indoors, according to the article.

Occupiers will host an Occupy Ball event outside of Miner’s campaign fundraiser, described as a ‘$1,000 per plate campaign fundraiser,’ on Jan. 28, according to the press release. The organizers’ protest will be about money in elections, according to the release.

snbouvia@syr.edu  

Published on January 20, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Stephanie: snbouvia@syr.edu | @snbouvia