This story has been updated with comment from the Detroit Police Department.
Detroit Police Department officers enforcing a 10 p.m. curfew cleared a group of about 20 Occupy Detroit members out of Grand Circus Park Tuesday night. Earlier that evening, members of the organization had pledged to spend the night at the park, where they had set up an earlier Occupy Wall Street-inspired protest encampment last fall.
The overnight protest came after a day of marching and activity to celebrate May Day, coordinated with protests and Occupy movement actions around the country.
There were no arrests, but Occupiers called the police presence dramatic.
"There were about 50 police lined up in a phalanx," said Occupy Detroit member Erik Shelley, who was present Tuesday night. "Police cars lined up entire length of the park. There was a black bus for taking people away."
10:25 p.m. Detroit police officers lined up in Grand Circus Park.
The Detroit Police Department would not verify the number of officers deployed that evening, and a spokeswoman did not return a request for further comment.
Occupy Detroit member Mark Tucker said police pulled a device, which he thought was a sound cannon, from a suitcase and pointed it at a small crowd gathered by the Hazen S. Pingree statue at the corner of Woodward and Adams. (Shelley said he thought the device was a P.A. system.) Tucker said an officer then declared the gathering an illegal assembly and asked the crowd to disperse.
10:10 p.m. Police unpacking what may have been a Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD, or sound canon), or simply a P.A. system.
According to Tucker, members of the group told police they had a legal right to assemble on the public sidewalk, but were unable to persuade the officers to let them stay.
Attorney Kathy Murphy, who monitored the protest as a legal observer for the National Lawyers Guild, said it was her understanding that police refused to allow people to sit on the sidewalk because they considered it part of the park.
"It's my opinion, and that of the NLG, that people have a first amendment right to be on the sidewalk at any hour as long as they're not interfering with pedestrian traffic," she said.
The group took consensus and decided to leave the scene, even though some members had said they were willing to risk arrest. The two-dozen Occupiers then moved on to rally with signs at another nearby Campus Martius Park, then proceeded to march along Woodward Ave. until approximately 7 a.m. Wednesday morning. Tucker called a this activity a "mobile encampment."
Tucker said he's glad the group stuck up for members' constitutional right to assemble, even though they did not end up spending the night in the park.
Sarah Coffey, another member of Occupy Detroit who was present during the confrontation with police, said it was a learning experience for younger members about what to expect from law enforcement.
"They were definitely sending a clear message that things are not going to be the same as last year," she said.
Occupy Detroit had a largely positive relationship with the Detroit Police Department during its month-long encampment in Grand Circus Park last fall. Activists chose to leave the park voluntarily when their permit expired in mid-November.
UPDATE: Thursday, 10:10 a.m. -- Detroit Police Department spokeswoman Sgt. Eren Stephens responded to HuffPost's request for comment on the Tuesday night police presence:
"As occurs in all demonstrations involving a large number of individuals, members of the Detroit Police Department were deployed in order to ensure that the public safety of all concerned is protected and that marches and demonstrations are orderly and safe. It has been and will continue to be the policy of the Detroit Police Department to respect and protect the rights of individuals to exercise First Amendment rights while enforcing the law."
Stephens also noted no arrests were made. "The Department will continue to attempt to maintain an open line of communication with all protestors," she said.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.