Occupy Philadelphia protest diverges

The Occupy Philadelphia protest lingers in reduced numbers at Philadelphia City Hall, even though the group was ordered to vacate Sunday night.  

Aine Fox is one of those who didn’t obey Mayor Michael Nutter’s 5 p.m. Sunday eviction order.  She said once that time came, protesters began a sit-in that will continue until the group decides to do something else.

“We’re engaged in a sit-down protest,” Fox said. “It is a nonviolent, peaceful tactic and that is what is going on right now.”

Across the street at Paine Plaza, Randy Quinn of Reasonable Solutions was alone with a child-sized table. He was recruiting others to join his movement, which has a city permit to conduct daytime protests.

“We are not working against them,” Quinn said. “Everybody here is welcome here. We will allow people to come into the space if they so choose, if they would like to be free of the potential conflict that is going to happen there.

City officials would not say when they plan to clear all the protesters out of Dilworth Plaza. Construction permits for a $50 million renovation of the space were issued Friday.