Dozens of Occupy San Diego protesters began moving to an alternate site in Balboa Park on Thursday night after police warned that they could be arrested if they did not move their tents and other structures from the plaza behind City Hall.
But some protesters appeared ready to remain, even at the risk of being arrested for defying the police order. No arrests have been made.
At about 4 p.m., police told protesters that while they could remain, their tents, tarps, chairs, tables and other structures had to be removed by midnight.
The plaza needs to be cleared of all structures so it can be washed Friday in advance of a dance recital Saturday expected to attract more than 1,000 people, Assistant Chief Boyd Long told the protesters.
Long said that people refusing to move their property would be risking arrests and that their property could be impounded.
The city has an ordinance that bans tents and other obstructions in the public right-of-way.
By 11:45 p.m., only a few police were on the edge of the plaza, with no indication that arrests were in the immediate offing.
-- Tony Perry in San Diego
Photo: Occupy San Diego protest outside City Hall. Photo: Tony Perry / Los Angeles Times
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