The police opened the gates to Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan just after darkness fell and let in a single-file line of people as a crowd surrounded the park. Some chanted "Let us in. Let us in."
One by one, about 750 people crowded into the park. Those carrying backpacks and large amounts of food were turned away, and the evening's general assembly meeting began with logistics, like where demonstrators would be able to eat and sleep, Times said.
New York Supreme Court Justice Michael D. Stallman's ruling Tuesday came after Police in riot gear cleared out the protestors against corporate greed who have sparked similar demonstrations in cities across America.
Stallman said protesters' rights cannot come at the exclusion of those "who might wish to use the space safely."
The operation to clear the park began around 1 a.m., New York mayor Michael Bloomberg said, with police handing out notices from the park's owner that said the continued occupation posed a health and fire hazard.
On Monday, police in Oakland, California, conducted a similar raid when they moved in to the Occupy encampment at Frank Ogawa Plaza near City Hall and tore down tents. Officers made 33 arrests.
There, too, the park has been reopened to protesters, but city officials will enforce a ban on camping in the park with an around-the-clock police presence.
Meanwhile, according to the Washington Post, several members of the capital city's Council said Tuesday the National Park Service should continue to monitor the two Occupy DC encampments in the city, but as of now they see no reason to follow other cities' lead in breaking up the camps.
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