(Un)occupy ABQ vow return after arrests

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - A day after more than a dozen protesters were arrested, members of "(Un)occupy Albuquerque" movement debated Wednesday whether to move their protest site or return to the site and risk more arrests as some promised.

On Tuesday, protesters were ordered off the four-week-old makeshift campsite at the University of New Mexico after the school opted not to renew the protest permit over safety concerns. New Mexico state police raided the site late Tuesday and arrested around two dozen protesters who refused to leave on trespassing charges. The arrests came as around 400 supporters sang songs and chanted, "Cops are the 99 percent!"

A lawyer from the National Lawyers Guild said they intend to represent those arrested.

Protesters were then pushed from the Yale Park camp, dubbed "Camp Coyote," onto sidewalks and the historical Route 66 where they were later met by Albuquerque police in riot gear. Native American protesters hit drums while others held signs and set off fireworks.

James Roach, a spokesman for protesters, said volunteers decided to go ahead and risk arrest after a general assembly. "They wrote emergency contact information on their arms and were ready to go," said Roach.

Rhadona Stark, 32, of Albuquerque, said despite the arrests, protesters intended to return the site. "I'll be right here the next day," Stark said. "This isn't over."

Others said they will protests on sidewalks in front of Yale Park and will move around the area until they are allowed to return to the park.

Meanwhile, protester Sebastian Pais announced that he would begin a hunger strike over UNM president David Schmidly's decision to close the protest site over safety concerns. "My hope is to end this hunger strike the day that UNM President Schmidly comes to Yale Park and engages in a dialogue during an (Un)Occupy Albuquerque General Assembly," Pais wrote in an online petition.

Schmidly said in a statement that he met with protest organizers and that he supports their rights to free expression. But he said he was standing by the university's decision against renewing the permit because of safety concerns, including an incident Friday in which a man lunged with a knife at protesters.

The city also said it has spent more than $16,000 in overtime for police patrols.

Howard Lackey, 43, said he has talked to friends who own private property about allowing protesters to camp out. Others said they wanted to move the protesters to downtown Albuquerque.

The local version of the movement changed its name recently to "(Un)occupy Albuquerque" after concerns were raised about the negative connotations of the word "occupy" in a city with a large Native American population.