Even after New Have Police ousted and arrested some Occupy protesters, they weren’t giving up on Wednesday night.
Hours after the city evicted them from the Green, they were back.
“We need to remain in solidarity with one another” one protester said.
The group was outraged over being kicked out of the campground they called home since October.
“After six months the city played us. We were stupid,” another protester added.
Thirteen protesters were arrested on Wednesday morning when they refused to leave. That didn’t stop them from returning and trying to find a way to keep the Occupy movement alive without living here.
“We'll still be going on. No matter what happens, they'll never break us,” Danielle DiGirolamo said.
Kicking the protesters off the green caused a new set of problems for the city because officials said the Occupiers destroyed it and fixing the damage will cost taxpayers a lot of money.
“The cleanup will be about $25,000 to restore the green and to repair the trees. That said, when you add the other cost, we'll probably be at $145,000,” Mayor John DeStefano said.
Occupiers told NBC Connecticut a $145,000 price tag was something they justified.
“Yes, just like we pay for everything else,” Ray Neal said.
Crews spent Wednesday fencing off the green because the grass is worn out to the point of non-existence and it needs to be re-seeded. The soil also needs a complete overhaul, since there’s no telling if it’s contaminated.
“Say where the kitchen was or something else, that might have caused a problem where the soil would have to be remediated,” Christy Hass, deputy director of parks and squares said.
The project could take months to finish, which means the public can’t use this popular city landmark until the work is done.
“No, we're not going anywhere at all,” Neal said, adding that their work was just beginning too and they’ll continue to make their presence known around the green.
The protesters are still allowed to spread their message near the green, they just can’t live there.
