Occupy LAers may need to move

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When protesters set up their encampment outside city hall almost a month ago, they said they would stay through the winter. Now it is looking like they may need to reach another agreement. Yesterday, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said the encampment "cannot continue indefinitely."

Peter Sanders from the Mayor's office says Villaragosa recognizes the protesters first amendment right. But, he says, the occupiers have been ignoring the posted rules of the lawn, specifically the curfew. The lawn is a city park and people are not supposed to be in parks between 10:30 pm and 5 am. Officials have been looking the other way on the curfew violation, but Sanders says other problems cropped up. "They have damaged things like the irrigation system, there is graffiti and vandalism on the property," said Sanders. "Some of these things are getting a little bit worse and it's time for them to look for alternatives to protest. And there is also some health and safety concerns that the Mayor has."

Up to this point, the city, police and occupiers have prided themselves on communicating with each other. "We're keeping an open dialogue between ourselves, the police department, the protesters," Sanders said. "Hopefully they'll agree to move on to another location to lawfully continue their protest and then we'll be able to get in at some point to estimate the extent of the damage of the lawns and reopen the area to the public." Jacob Hay from Good Jobs LA, one of the protest groups on city hall's lawn, says he thinks the city and protesters will be able to reach an agreement.

"They mayor's office and a lot of city council members have been supportive of the Occupy LA movement," said Hay. "Hopefully this can be done in a collaborative way an doesn't have to get to any confrontational point."

The mayor hasn't set a time table and no decisions have been made. Sanders says the city is asking for input from city departments on a course of action.