The man who started the Occupy New Haven movement says it is time to go, but other Occupiers aren't ready to pack up and leave.
The Occupy camp has been set up on the New Haven Green since October. The group was ordered off the Green Tuesday, but a Federal Appeals Court judge issued a stay just as police began to move in to clear the encampment.
Josh Smith, who founded the New Haven version of the Occupy Wall Street movement, said recent crime reports and negative media attention are getting in the way of Occupy's message, according to the New Haven Independent.
Smith's followers aren't buying it. Eight members of the group are plaintiff's in a case against the City of New Haven. They claim the Green is private property, owned by trust, and that New Haven has no right to tell them to leave.
"I fully support Occupy New Haven, and that I'd like to see it move into its second phase without encampment, Smith said in a Facebook post addressed to NBC Connecticut. "The camp is not the movement, and I feel that we should regroup and refocus so that we can regain the supporters who agree with our ideology but disagree with the tactics currently being used."
The appeals judge will hear arguments on the case April 17.
