Oakland Protesters Regroup

Occupy protesters were back in the plaza in front of Oakland City Hall just 12 hours after police cleared their encampment yesterday. Around a thousand people gathered in the plaza for a peaceful general assembly soon after police reopened it at 5pm, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Protesters have been told they can gather in the plaza around the clock, but police will no longer allow camping. Many Oakland protesters plan to join an Occupy rally in Berkeley today.

Most protesters agreed to put off any decision on re-establishing a tent city in Oakland until tomorrow. "A lot of the people who started the camp want to see this move on to the next level," said a 40-year-old sales consultant from Oakland who has been a key activist. "I'd like to see the tents replaced with booths, community resources, workshops, teach-ins, and maybe even a kitchen still serving the homeless." On the other side of the country, at least 70 people were arrested as police moved in to clear New York's Zuccotti Park. (More Oakland stories.)