Protesters now occupy city sidewalk

Occupy Honolulu protesters were removed from a park late Thursday night but said they will try to stay at Thomas Square for as long as they can.

Acting on newly confirmed boundaries at Thomas Square Park, Honolulu police went to the park to move the campers, arresting a 51-year-old woman who "chose to be arrested," police said. The park is closed to the public from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Some personal belongings were also confiscated, including bicycles and kitchen equipment, but the city said they can be returned later.

The Occupy campers were using a strip of land along Beretania Street, between the sidewalk and a long rock wall inside the park.

But on Thursday, city officials painted white dots around the park’s perimeter to indicate that park property is everything inside the sidewalk. Police officers forced out the campers, and the campers moved their belongings to the sidewalk, right next to Beretania Street.

"You can’t evict an idea," said 22-year-old Madori Rumpungworn, one of the group’s organizers. "We’re not going anywhere."

Rumpungworn said some people have floated the idea of relocating, but they haven’t decided where. Until then they plan to stay on the sidewalk.

"It’s definitely far from over until we see some real change in policies in this country," said Damion, a 34-year-old glass artist who declined to give his last name.

The city moved the campers, citing park nightly closure rules and not the recently passed sidewalk storage law, formerly known as Bill 54, said city spokesman Jim Fulton.

"We enforced park closure laws consistent with the understood boundaries," Fulton said.

When asked whether the city would enforce the sidewalk law now that the campers are on the sidewalk, Fulton said the city will enforce the law if it receives complaints.

"We are always looking for voluntary compliance of the ordinance, but we will be prepared to move forward if there is not voluntary compliance at any time," Fulton said.

People found in violation of storing property on sidewalks would be given written notice and 24 hours to remove their property. Fulton said the city has not yet given notice to the campers.

The protesters have been part of a national movement that claims that big business and government cater to the richest 1 percent of U.S. citizens, to the detriment of the rest of the population.

The number of campers at the Honolulu protest has varied over the past several weeks. Rumpungworn said it was difficult to watch police tear down canopies Thursday night.

"It’s hard to keep the commitment there when it’s so easy to be discouraged," Rumpungworn said.

Hawaii News Now video: Occupy protesters pushed out of Thomas Square