Menino Gives Occupy Boston Midnight Deadline

04:48

December 08, 2011

An Occupy Boston protester removed foam rubber from his tent at the Dewey Square encampment on Monday, Dec. 5. Boston Mayor Tom Menino has given demonstrators a midnight deadline to leave the park. (AP)

The clock is ticking on Occupy Boston. Boston Mayor Tom Menino on Thursday announced protestors have until midnight tonight to clear their encampment at Dewey Square. If they don't, Menino said the city is prepared to "take further action."

"I've always said from Day 1, if you listen, that public safety, we're not going to tolerate any violation of public safety," Menino said Thursday. "There are some concerns down there about public safety."

The mayor's deadline was the second blow to Occupy Boston in as many days. On Wednesday, a Suffolk Superior Court judge denied a legal motion filed by protesters that would have shielded them from an eviction.

Meanwhile, for the Occupy movement as a whole, developments in Boston were only the latest in a series of recent setbacks. Police cleared Occupy camps in Philadelphia and Los Angeles last week, and yesterday shut down a camp in San Francisco.

Guest:

Monica Brady-Myerov, reporter, WBUR

More:

WBUR: After Ruling, Occupy Boston’s Dewey Square Days Could Be Numbered

This program aired on December 8, 2011.