ATLANTA,None — Occupy Atlanta has moved to the suburbs.
The group, which has based itself in downtown Atlanta, left Monday morning for a Gwinnett County house facing foreclosure. About 15 demonstrators gathered inside the home of a DeKalb County officer, who lost a court hearing Friday to avoid eviction.
"We will be there with other folks from Gwinnett to make sure the bank doesn't snatch up this house," organizer Tim Franzen said.
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He said the residents of the home on Shoreside Circle in Snellville are a family of five with three children.
“We want to make sure they spend Christmas in the home,” Franzen said.
The move to Gwinnett comes on the heels of a tension filled weekend in downtown Atlanta. On Saturday, Atlanta police arrested 20 people after Occupy protesters left Woodruff Park and blocked Peachtree Street.
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Chanting protesters and police in riot gear came toe to toe. Police charged one man with aggravated assault after, they said, he knocked an officer off his motorcycle. Protesters insist the officer ran into a protester and started the incident.
On Sunday night, after 19 of the 20 protesters were released from jail, the group gathered again in Woodruff Park to listen to tips on remaining non-violent.
"You have to think more about what you are doing and about the movement than what people are doing to you," one woman told the crowd.
Another man said, "We made history last night, and we are going to continue to make history and we are going to continue to be peaceful."
Hours later, five people were arrested after staying past the park’s curfew.
It's unclear how many days the group plans to stay in the Gwinnett County home.
WSBTV
