The city of Buffalo ordered members of the Occupy movement to leave Lafayette Square late Wednesday night.
Buffalo Mayor Bryon Brown gave the directive to police. At a news conference in City Hall Thursday, Brown said police were just doing their job. He said the city is enforcing a law that that requires people to leave parks, including Lafayette Square, by 10p.m.
Police issued a warning, giving the protestors a chance to leave. Tents were removed and three people voluntarily left the site. But a 26-year-old woman was arrested around 11:30 p.m. after refusing to leave the encampment and was taken into custody charged with violating a city ordinance and obstruction of governmental administration.
Christina Cooke, appeared in City Court Thursday morning. She was released on a conditional discharge that will see the charges against her dropped if she stays out of trouble for the next six months. Cooke is a Buffalo State College student. In a WBFO News interview earlier this week, Cooke said she was willing to be arrested for her cause.
“Personally I will. I feel like in order to get permission to protest is kind of an oxymoron," said Cooke.
A handful of Occupy protestors set up an encampment last weekend, splitting from the larger Occupy Buffalo movement at Niagara Square.
An Occupy member contacted WBFO News before midnight to report the arrest.
“Cops are here breaking us up in Lafayette Square,” said Alicia O’Brien, Occupy member.
Another Occupy member said the police rummaged through their tents as the site was dismantled.
Lafayette Square is an alternative site for the movement in the event of a snow storm.