Despite Occupy Madison members peacefully vacating the East Washington site Tuesday, police arrested one Occupy member Monday night for refusing to leave a city building.
Officers arrested Allen Barkoff for trespassing after he refused to stop protesting in front of the mayor’s office when the building closed at 6 p.m.
After Occupiers participated in a rally Monday voicing their opposition to the city’s decision to shut down their site on East Washington Avenue, several members, including Barkoff, chose to protest in front of Mayor Paul Soglin’s office.
Barkoff said it was important to stay as a representative of Occupy members.
“I chose to object to [leaving] the City-County Building in front of Mayor Soglin’s office as a symbolic show of solidarity with the people on East Washington,” Barkoff said.
Madison Police Department spokesperson Joel DeSpain said the Occupy members were cooperative, and Barkoff understood he would be arrested if he did not leave.
“It wasn’t that he was being disrespectful or creating a disturbance, he wanted to get arrested,” DeSpain said.
Also on Monday, a county judge denied an extension to Occupy’s permit for the East Washington site. All residents of the camp were required to leave the site by Tuesday at noon.
Barkoff said although police officers and Captain of Police Carl Gloede were present, it was a “peaceful situation.”
DeSpain also did not report any problems with Occupiers vacating the site.
“Everyone was very cooperative and conducted themselves in a very respectful way and got everything taken down,” DeSpain said.
