Occupy protesters arrested in Houston
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Xinhua, November 10, 2011
Police arrested some protesters participating in the Occupy Houston movement late Tuesday night in the fourth largest U.S. city of Houston for violating the city's ordinance, local media reported on Wednesday.
More than a dozen police officers came to Tranquillity Park in downtown Houston and took several protesters into custody, according to the newspaper Houston Chronicle. About 10 people were arrested, Occupy Houston members said, according to the newspaper.
Another local TV channel said the incident began at 11 p.m. Tuesday. Six protesters were handcuffed and detained. Four others, who were taken into custody for interfering with police operations, were released later after being issued tickets.
Police told the Occupy Houston group it violated the city's ordinance against structures in public parks because the protesters put up what officers called a tent, the Houston Chronicle quoted Mary Belcik, a member of the Occupy Houston, as saying.
The protesters were using a tarp over batteries for the computer to protect the equipment from rain, Belcik said.
An officer asked that the tarp be removed or that the protesters relocate because of city ordinances.
"They refused to take it down. They got four warnings, at least, " Lt. P. Manzo with the Houston Police Department was quoted as saying.
Protesters chanted "Shame!" and "Show me what democracy looks like" when the arrests were made, a video on the group's YouTube channel shows.
The arrests in Houston came after the Occupy movement across the U.S. becomes increasingly violent due to police intervention.
About 30 people were arrested earlier this month in Oakland, California, as police in riot gear fired tear gas and flashed grenades to clear a downtown street, where supporters of the Occupy Wall Street movement gathered.
Last month, eight Occupy protesters were arrested for staging a sit-in in downtown Houston.
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