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Deputy Mayor Matt Szabo told reporters today that Occupy LA will be cleared out some time next week, and the mayor's office followed with a statement: "Today, the Mayor's office informed members of Occupy LA that City Hall park will be closed at some point next week for rehabilitation. Members of Occupy LA will be given sufficient notice prior to the closure." Villaraigosa's official also pledged that 50 shelter beds would be made available for Occupy members who are homeless, bt there appears to be no more talk of giving protesters free space in a closed storefront in the City Hall Mall. LAPD chief Charlie Beck confirmed plans to ensure that the encampment is gone from City Hall by the end of the week. But how or exactly when that would occur is unclear.
Whether the residents of Occupy will agree to just pack up and leave, or be evicted, remains far from certain. Mario Brito and Jim Lafferty, who were negotiating with the for Occupy, walked out of today's meeting with Szabo unhappy, and notes posted by Occupy show the meeting was tense.
LAT, AP, Daily News, LA Weekly, CBS LA, Occupy Los Angeles
Photo from Occupy L.A. by Iris Schneider