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CHICAGO, IL (DSLC) - Chicago police arrested about 175 Occupy Chicago protestors in Congress Plaza just after 1 a.m. Sunday, about 90 minutes after police issued their first warning that the group was violating municipal code.
Police completed the last arrests and cleared the plaza of protesters at 3:30 am, more than two hours after arrests began.
The protesters will likely be cited with municipal violations and face fines, police said.
Occupy Chicago volunteers said they were taking bags and other belongings from people who were arrested to Grace Episcopal Church for people to pick up once they were released from jail.
With the din from supporters from across the street long since faded away, the participants were taken away in police trucks and CTA buses, often cheering.
"I did it!" one woman said, beaming. "Did you see what I did?"
Officers individually approached protesters, who had formed a human chain and sat on the ground, to give them the option to leave the park voluntarily or be arrested.
As of 1:30 a.m., at least 50 protesters had been hauled away, while about 150 others stood and continued their demonstrations from across the street on Michigan Avenue.
The arrests were mostly peaceful, though many people shouted that the police "were the instruments of the one percent," referring to the movement's popular refrain.
One person chose to leave rather than be arrested while two men were seen refusing to stand and had to be carried away by several officers.
Many chanted "The whole world is watching," echoing chants during protests at the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago, some of which took place in and around Grant Park.
About 500 or so protestors -- down from 2,000 earlier in the day -- had pitched tents early in the evening. Police warned them at 11:30 p.m. Saturday they were violating a municipal ordinance which closes the park at 11 p.m.
As the arrests continued, other officers dismantled the two dozen tents and threw away some of the signs.
"I'd like to ask why (New York Mayor Michael) Bloomberg let the people stay in the park peacefully and clean up their own mess, and Rahm Emanuel won't let us do the same," said Joseph Eichler, 23, of Logan Square.
When a group of protesters sat defiantly in their tent and refused to leave, the officers dismantled the tent with the people still in it.
"I'm going down with the ship!" one man shouted, right before the group was arrested.
After police cleared most of the plaza, a group of about 60 protesters remained around 2 a.m., huddled together, shouting over the repeated warnings that they would be arrested if they didn't leave.
"It's our duty to defend our rights, our right to peacefully assemble," said Brit Schulte, 23, of Uptown. "This is our park, and they're trying to take it away from us. We shouldn't be arrested right now."
Participants, expecting to be arrested, pledged to return to the plaza Sunday.
As arrests resumed, people chanted, "Shame on Rahm! Shame on Rahm!"
Still, the protesters retained a sense of humor.
"Who should be studying for their midterms right now?" one woman yelled.
"Who really needs to pee right now?"
Chicago police warned the crowd before moving into the protest that they would be arrested if they didn't disperse. They closed down northbound Michigan Avenue just before 1 a.m. Sunday before beginning the arrests.
It wasn't clear until about 1 a.m. that police would arrest members of the group.
A crowd of about 2,000 people marched from LaSalle Street and Jackson Boulevard to Congress Plaza, north of Congress Parkway and east of Michigan Avenue, continuing the 3-week-old protest against what they see as corporate corruption and myriad other issues.
Officers delayed movement on the protesters, something participants took as a promising sign."What we have done tonight," one man announced using their human megaphone technique, "might have resulted in the right to occupy where we want!"
Bearing homemade signs, American flags and printed banners, the crowd settled in the plaza to listen to a variety of speakers, while some participants erected tents and set up sleeping bags.
"Look at what we did!" shouted one speaker. "The corporations control the government and the wealth but we have the greatest power of all: the power of the people!"
"This is our Tahrir Square," said another speaker, referencing the protests in Egypt as part of what has been called the Arab Spring. "We're not going to take it anymore! We're going to take these streets!"
Occupy groups nationwide declared Saturday as a Global Day of Action, with protesters in various countries rallying for similar causes.
Dwight Overton of the West Side said he started participating on the fourth day of the movement and got more involved as he participated in the general assemblies and learned more about the issues.
"I want to get everyone aware of corporate corruption and greed," said Overton, 24, the din of honking horns and drum beats behind him. "I want to give the United States and the world back to its people, and not have corporations' influence on the government."
Erica Weitzel, 26, said she planned to sleep overnight in the square and has been encouraged by the group's camaraderie and commitment to its pledge of non-violence.
"It's beautiful and exciting down here to see people taking care of each other and being kind to each other," said Weitzel, of the Ukrainian Village neighborhood. "I think that taking time out of your day to come down here and stand up for what you believe in is the most American thing you can do."
As the demonstration continued, speaker after speaker implored the participants to camp out overnight and to stand firm in their beliefs.
"We hope that you are here in the dead of winter," one speaker shouted. "The weather is not going to stop this movement!"
Arielle Amiri, 18, said she and her friends often had discussed how they would change the world, given the chance. The one thing they settled on, she said, was changing the distribution of wealth.
"Now that there's a movement to represent the 99 percent that hasn't had a voice in quite some time, it seems silly for me not to be here," said Amiri, a freshman at DePaul University.
Later in the evening, individual protesters came to the megaphone to voice their individual grievances, from a union worker who hasn't had a raise in five years to people whose family members have lost their homes.
"In 2009, my parents' home was foreclosed on," one man said, "Not because we were stupid, not because we took on a lease we knew we couldn't afford, but because we had no choice. What they did with our money was illegal!"
Tom Cui, 18, said he "fell in love" with the protest because of its focus on democracy.
"People don't vote anymore because they don't trust the government," said Cui, of Evanston. "Having a movement like this where people can come up to the microphone and be heard, that's the kind of democracy that enables people to get involved again."
