Occupy Memphis Evicted Due To Unsafe Conditions

(Memphis)  Memphis Police have removed Occupy Memphis protestors from the Main Street Mall downtown.

Police came in around 6 a.m. Friday and cleared all the protesters out.

City public works employees then tore down their tents and cleaned up the area.

Memphis CAO George Little said 9 people were evicted, 8 of whom were homeless, “We have observed health and safety issues here. I personally have noticed in the past several  weeks people relieving themselves in the water wall. That sort of thing.”

About a dozen or so Memphis Police officers were on hand in case the campers became unruly, but they left peacefully.

The site has been criticized for not being truly an Occupy campsite, but a haven for the homeless.

We talked to Daphne Morrison who has been living in the campsite since it opened in October of 2011.

Morrison admitted she was only looking for somewhere to stay and didn’t really care much about the movement, “I didn’t have anywhere to go. I walked right into the camp and they welcomed me and told me I could stay. I have family, but you know, everyone has their own situation but I just don’t want to impose. I don’t want to be a problem.

Now that the campers have cleared out, the city plans on reopening the mall fountains.

The fountains were closed down two years ago, after an On Your Side Investigation revealed there was fecal bacteria in the water.