We now have kittens in PA, so we can't walk around in bare feet anymore without stepping on something they've batted under the door. Which I did Sunday evening. As I was pouring hydrogen peroxide over the hole in my heel this morning, the WBAL traffic crawler noted that a large police presence had closed traffic at Pratt & Light. At the same time, WBAL's weather cutie Ava Marie was telling us about the Festival of Lights at the Power Plant, which is not very far at all from McKeldin Square. I had the feeling that the festivities would not be including Occupy Baltimore, and I couldn't help but wonder if Darrick's taunting of the mayor at the Santa parade had set the stage for this morning's eviction.

Sure enough, the next teaser was Bye Bye Occupy, and after commercials for new cars and new floors, reporter Kim Dacey told us that police in riot gear descended on the OB encampment at 3:30 AM and evicted several dozen occupiers without arrests or incident. Many of the OBers went to a nearby homeless shelter. A few were interviewed, saying how disappointed they were in the suppression of peaceful protestors.

“It’s not what I expect from a democracy or America, which was built on the right to peaceably assemble and to voice dissenting opinions. That makes us stronger,”

OB's website called for an emergency General Assembly at 10 AM this morning, which set the location for tonight's GA at War Memorial Plaza.

I suspect that in years to come, police will wish that Occupy sites were the worst of their problems. There have been minor incidents, like a stabbing last week as two women fought over a cat, but considering the over 180 Charm City murders in 2011, Occupy Baltimore was a comparatively safe place.

In any case, closing down Occupy sites is like masking the symptoms, while the disease goes septic.

For their parts, Occupiers are already looking to the future. As reported in the Baltimore Brew, “... the idea that it was winding down is true in perception only,” [Damien] Nichols said. “There has been a great deal of activity online and in peoples’ living rooms. We are focusing on problems in the city and going into the community. There’s a lot more from us to come.”