US: Portland Police Warn ‘Occupy’ Protesters to Disperse

Police in the northwestern U.S. city of Portland are demanding that hundreds of protesters linked to the “Occupy Wall Street” movement leave a central park or face the possibility of a forced eviction.

Video from the scene shows the park lined with clusters of police armed with nightsticks, prepared to take action. But a city official expressed hope that a violent confrontation can be avoided.

The protesters defied a midnight deadline to disperse, but so far no new deadline has been announced.

These protests in Portland are part of a loosely tied nationwide movement against corporate greed and economic inequality that began in New York City in September.