Occupy D.C. remains in parks despite eviction threat

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Protesters with “Occupy D.C.” are still in two of the city’s parks, despite an eviction deadline that came and went on Monday afternoon.

The National Park Service said last week that it would begin enforcing a camping ban in McPherson Square and Freedom Plaza starting Monday. In response, activists staged a rally in both parks and invited area media, creating enough of a deterrent to ward off any arrests.

Park police reminded the protesters of the ban on Tuesday, even after a day of no enforcement.

U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg was expected to hear their appeal against the ban on Tuesday, but it was not clear whether protesters would have any legal standing.

Even if the eviction hasn’t been enforced yet, it’s already working. A park police spokesman told The Christian Science Monitor that several dozen people left the camp right away after the first threat was issued.

Despite the threat of arrest, the protesters still plan to hold their general assembly at 6 p.m. tonight, as they have every day since the demonstration began in October.

This video is from Reuters, published Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2012.