Police detain several protesters in their quest to clear 'Occupy' camp

Police detain several protesters in their quest to clear 'Occupy' camp

View larger image An exclusive look inside a yurt at Occupy Toronto. At least four protesters have barricaded themselves inside. (MyBreakingNews)  View larger image A Occupy Toronto protester reacts to City of Toronto workers who were clearing structures and tents, accompanied by Toronto police, at the Occupy Toronto site in St. James Park in Toronto on Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2011. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette)  View larger image City of Toronto workers clear structures and tents as they are accompanied by Toronto police at the Occupy Toronto site in St. James Park in Toronto on Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2011. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette)  View larger image An Occupy Toronto protester plays soccer in the mud as City of Toronto workers clear structures and tents at the Occupy Toronto site in St. James Park in Toronto on Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2011. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette)  View larger image Police move in on the Occupy Toronto camp at St. James Park on Nov. 23, 2011.(Tom Stefanac/CP24)  View larger image Protesters affiliated to the the Occupy Toronto movement fortify a pavilion in St.James Park in Toronto on Tuesday November 22, 2011 as they continue to defy an eviction notice amid rumours of a Police raid. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Several protesters were taken into police custody Wednesday afternoon as tensions escalated between police and demonstrators at St. James Park.
One man climbed up a tree, yelling at officers below and creating a scene at the camp. Four others were taken into custody after dashing into the library yurt, hours after police reached an agreement with other protesters to vacate the structure.
In total, 11 people were detained by police today. Ten of them have been charged with trespassing, handed a $75 ticket and were released immediately. The 11th person was released without charge.
In the spirit of keeping the peace, police offered Occupy Toronto organizers the chance to accompany those that were taken into custody to make sure that they were being processed quickly and treated fairly.
But their efforts didn't win everyone over.
Several protesters insisted on remaining inside a gazebo at the park, even though many of them agreed earlier this afternoon to leave peacefully. They eventually complied with police orders and left.
The gazebo had become a symbol of the last stronghold of Occupy Toronto's camp. The park is now completely clear of all tents and the remaining yurt is being dismantled.
Tensions escalating
Tensions between Occupy Toronto protesters and police slowly escalated today as officers and city staff spent the day walking through St. James Park, enforcing an eviction order.
Police first stepped into the park shortly after 6:30 a.m. after asking protesters twice over a bullhorn to vacate the premises and comply with trespassing bylaws.
The morning at the park was relatively calm, though protesters began shouting at police officers almost immediately. Still, police were able to walk through the property and city crews were able to take down tents and clean up the park.
The mood changed however when a woman was carried out of the park by police after she tried to block a city truck from entering the premises. Immediately, protesters crowded officers, shouting "Let her go! Let her go!"
Occupy Toronto protesters continued to yell at authorities, screaming "We won't go" and "Our park" while pounding bongo drums as police sifted through the area.
Their cause received a boost just before noon when about 200 members of the Ontario Federation of Labour marched down Queen Street to the park. Most of the OFL members have since left the park.
Sid Ryan, president of the Ontario Federation of Labour, spoke to the crowd and asked them not to engage in violence.
"That would destroy the message of the movement," he said. "It doesn't help the movement if you get violent."
There has been no violence reported at the camp.
Despite the unrest, most protesters have stayed out of the police's way, choosing to yell from the sidelines.
Earlier this morning protest organizers told people in the park that they should remove the tents and the remaining yurt themselves, if they want to make sure it is saved "and not sacrificed."
At the end, at least four people who had barricaded themselves inside the library yurt came out on their own after reaching a "peaceful resolution" with police.
Ian Smart, one of the protesters occupying the yurt, said he had a constructive conversation with police and negotiated to have the library and structure relocated to another site. Police agreed in exchange for the protesters promise to leave the park.
Smart said he was happy that no violence was used.
"I consider this a win," he said. "Here in Canada we have that wonderful ability to be polite to each other."
Signs of peace
There were several signs of peace and goodwill between the two groups throughout the day.
One man delivered flowers to both officers and protesters as a sign of his mutual respect.
Another walked around carrying a sign that says, "We trust the police."
St. James Park was also peaceful overnight as protesters tried their best to stay awake amid fears police would move in and enforce an eviction order that would bring the Occupy Toronto movement to an end.
But police didn't significantly increase their presence around the park until about 4 a.m. when two busloads of officers and more than a dozen cruisers arrived at the scene.
At about 6:45 a.m., police walked into the park with flashlights and began looking into tents. Each tent was tagged with a property identification number and photographed so that it could be retrieved by its owners at a later date.
Many protesters had already packed up their belongings after the courts on Monday upheld a city decision to enforce a trespassing bylaw.
Cleanup crews arrived to the park at around 7:30 a.m. and began ridding the property of any remaining tents and other structures put up by the protesters.
Once the park is cleaned up and emptied of tents, protesters will be allowed to return. However, they must comply with a bylaw that states no one is allowed in the park between 12:01 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. They will also not be allowed to put up any structures on the property.
'Going as planned'
Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday told CP24 Wednesday morning that so far, the eviction order is "going as planned."
"I spoke to residents a few weeks ago, spoke to businesses and people who live here and they were quite fed up and want their park back," he said. "I hope the protesters are peaceful and let bylaw officers and police do their work."
The city has insisted from the start that they would try to vacate the park as peacefully as possible and released this statement Wednesday morning:
"The city's goal today is to remove tents and structures and make the park safe for the enjoyment of all residents. Our intent is to facilitate this peacefully."
The protesters have been camped out on the property for more than five weeks since Oct. 15
The 'Occupy' movement started in New York City's Zuccotti Park and has since spread to cities across North America.
In Canada, protests have been dismantled in Victoria, Calgary and Quebec City this week. Camps were evicted in London, Ont., Saskatoon, Regina and Halifax earlier this month.
Protesters say the current distribution of wealth leaves only one per cent of the population with financial security