Occupy SF protesters reject proposal to move

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Some Occupy San Francisco protesters are preparing to stand their ground at Justin Herman Plaza. They have rejected a proposal by the city to move the camp to another location.

The rejection came after more than three hours of debate at the Occupy SF camp. They didn't like the rules against children in the new encampment and rules against having tents close together. Plus, the protesters didn't want to move and forfeit their ability to at Justin Herman Plaza.

Tuesday night, protesters who had already packed up and thought they would be out of Justin Herman Plaza reassembled their tents for another night here.

At the general assembly, an Occupy protester who's a liaison with the city told the crowd that San Francisco wanted an agreement in the morning that the group would leave Justin Herman Plaza. Wednesday would be a day to look over the logistics of new location in the Mission District and that Thursday would be the day that the city would help protesters move.

But some at Justin Herman Plaza are planning to hold their ground and get arrested if it comes to that.

"What I would like to do is move over to the new location and come back here and defend my medic tent on the basis of right to assemble," protester Jerry Selness said.

The city would like them to assemble at the old Phoenix Continuation High School on Mission Street between 15th and 16th streets. Tuesday, workers were sprucing up the grounds while some neighbors were dreading what the occupy encampment might bring.

"There's a lot of drug trafficking and crime at 16th and Mission, it's pretty well-known, I love my neighborhood, but it's known and to put the people down by the Ferry Building like 100 feet from, that is ridiculous," Mission District resident Nicholas Whitacre said.

But Sam Madback, who runs the Fida Market across the street, is willing to give it a chance.

"I'm not worried about it at all; it's how you communicate with others and work together," Madback said.

The protesters are planning a written response to the city. They concede some people at the encampment may decide to go to the Mission location any way, while some protesters say they are willing to stay and risk arrest.

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protest, occupy sf, occupy wall street, justin herman plaza, mission district, san francisco news

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