Occupy Newark Gone from Military Park

City employees early this morning peaceably removed the few remaining tents erected as part of Occupy Newark, the ongoing protest that had been based at Military Park since late last year.

“As of February 15, 2012, the encampment at Military Park has been officially evacuated. It just doesn’t look the same without tents. At least the monuments, symbolizing the park’s history, still remain,” Occupy spokesman Tobias Fox said in an email.  

City officials referred questions to the police, who did not immediately answer a call seeking comment.

Occupy Newark, an offshoot of the national Occupy protest movement, initially received a warm welcome from city officials, who voted to suspend the park’s curfew in order to allow the protesters’ round-the-clock presence.

Earlier this month, however, the council allowed that suspension to lapse, and the remaining Occupiers were informed they had until last Thursday, Feb. 9 to take their tents down. The number of Occupiers dwindled in the last week in anticipation of the arrival of a “task force” consisting of sanitation, police and fire employees. That task force finally arrived a little after midnight this morning, Fox said.

Ahead of the task force’s arrival, protesters expressed fears they would be brutalized by authorities, but Fox said police handled the few remaining protesters gently. 

“We were expecting batons, mace, tear gas, the works, but instead we got a pretty peaceful group of enforcers. Not sure if there’s such a thing. Even occupiers originally from [Occupy Wall Street] stated that they felt they were in a Twilight zone,” Fox said. “They just couldn’t understand why the cops didn’t come with aggression and why the majority of the occupiers that was once there quietly left.”

The few remaining Occupiers chanted as authorities removed the remaining tents, Fox also said.

It was unclear what’s next for the Occupy Newark movement. A few protesters said they would find another spot in the city where they would camp, possibly an empty lot at 11th Street and 11th Avenue. Fox said protesters will also continue to work on addressing Newark issues.