NYPD Decides Occupy Wall Street’s Sidewalk Sleepovers Are Illegal

With the weather warming up, a new Occupy Wall Street protest tactic has started gaining popularity, with groups of demonstrators staying overnight on public sidewalks in lower Manhattan.

Citing a court ruling from 2000 that defends their right to do so as political protest, occupiers have lined Nassau Street and Wall Street for a week, careful not to take up too much room or block doorways, and until now cops have allowed it. This morning came the first crackdown.

"Sitting or lying down on the sidewalk is not permitted," a captain announced, according to the New York Times. "Anyone who is sitting or lying down must now get up or be subject to arrest. Also, it is unlawful to leave moveable property on the sidewalk." Then it got physical.

Stamping out this new trend before it grows — and gains widespread media attention — is ideal, lest an Occupy Wall Street renaissance seem possible to not just the protesters, but to the public. For the city, fighting a few demonstrators in court might be preferable to facing growing numbers of them on the streets again.