USA

US: Portland Police Warn 'Occupy' Protesters to Disperse

A protester offers police a rose after the deadline passed when the city wanted them to vacate the Occupy Portland Camp in Portland, Oregon, November 13, 2011.

Police in the northwestern U.S. city of Portland (Oregon) are demanding that hundreds of protesters linked to the "Occupy Wall Street" movement leave a central park or face the possibility of a forced eviction.

Video from the scene shows the park lined with clusters of police armed with nightsticks, prepared to take action. A city official expressed hope that a violent confrontation can be avoided. So far, only minor scuffling between police and protesters has been reported.

The protesters defied a midnight (3 a.m. EST) deadline to disperse, but so far no new deadline has been announced.

These protests in Portland are part of a loosely tied nationwide movement against corporate greed and economic inequality that began in New York City in September.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.