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Seattle police made 21 arrests on Friday while cleaning up a homeless camp in a park after a federal judge refused to stop authorities from doing so.
The Seattle Police Department said the offenses at Cal Anderson Park included trespassing, failure to disperse and obstructing an arrest. Teams dismantled tents, barricades and other barriers erected during an occupation of the park for months.
The city attempted to clear the area on Wednesday, but postponed action after protesters arrived and a person who lived in the park, Ada Yeager, filed a federal complaint to stop the sweep.
She claimed it violated her civil rights, including the First Amendment, among other grievances. On Thursday, a federal judge ruled against her.
The park is close to where protesters took control of several city blocks over the summer and declared a self-contained area dubbed Capital Hill Organized Protest, or CHOP.
In a previous statement to Fox News, the city said homeless people “should be in safer spaces like shelters and hotels, especially in the winter.”
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“And our parks should not be places where illegal and dangerous behavior such as fires, makeshift barricades blocking access to residents and first responders, or individuals who threaten city workers doing construction work. ‘routine maintenance and breaking into city facilities,’ the statement continued.
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