Protesters Arrested Outside City Hall

Four protesters with the “Occupy Austin” movement were arrested outside of City Hall shortly after 2:00 a.m. Thursday morning and charged with criminal trespassing.

Austin Police issued an order to vacate so that the area outside of City Hall could be cleaned, but four protesters refused to move.

Kirk Goodman was one of the four arrested. He said he was standing on the side walk.

"I think it was incredibly unjust, and it's disgusting. I've never been to jail before," said Goodman.

Austin’s Assistant City Manager Michael McDonald says organizers with the Occupy Austin Group knew about the clean up.

"Once we began using chemicals and those sorts of things, we have to move people out of the way. If they get injured, we are responsible for that," said McDonald. "We certainly support their right to excise their first amendment right, but we also have a responsibility to make sure the facility remains clean."

Some protesters believe the arrests were an attempt to thwart the group’s movement.

”I think it’s a clear tactic to try to break our spirits and to break the movement,” said Brian Overman, who was among those protesting this morning.

Shortly after the arrests were made, organizers of the “Occupy Austin” demonstration sent out a release to local and national media outlets, including the New York Times. They expect the size of the protest to grow as a result.

"Unless the crowds get huge and the mobs get angry, I don't think politicians are going to pay attention. I think it's unfortunate," said Karen Sweeney, who supports the protestors.

The morning’s confrontation has forced an increase in the police presence near City Hall, while some of the protesters have sought out other locations in the area.

The movement is gaining ground all around the country. A poll, which was conducted last week by Time Magazine, revealed how other Americans feel about the occupy movement.

Occupy Movement Perception

Favorable 54 %
Unfavorable 23 %
Don't Know Enough 23%
No Answer/Don't Know 1%

Occupy Movement On Us Politics

Positive Impact 30%
Negative Impact 9%
Little Impact 56%
No Answer/Don't Know 6%