Occupy O.C. protesters agree to peacefully leave campsite

Three police officers stood back with nothing to do but watch as Occupy Orange County protesters packed up the last of their supplies at Wednesday's peaceful end to nearly three months of overnight occupation at the Irvine Civic Center.

Tents, tarps, audio equipment, a podium and other well-worn supplies were loaded into cars beginning at 8 a.m. at Alton Parkway and Harvard Avenue. Supplies will be transferred to a new site -- Fullerton City Hall.

"It's kind of a bittersweet thing," said J.B. Wagoner, a protester from Temecula. "I think that the Occupy movement has reached some of its goals as far as raising awareness of corporate money and politics, but there's still a lot to be done. I think that we'll see the Occupy movement moving forward with positive things."

Since Oct. 25, Irvine had granted overnight camping rights to the protesters. But the latest extension of that agreement expired at noon Wednesday. Protesters emphasize that this is not the end of the movement, just their overnight occupation at the Irvine Civic Center.

Occupy the Courts, in which protesters will converge at the Santa Ana federal courthouse, is set for Jan. 20, while camping and general assembly meetings will continue nightly in Fullerton.

Their peaceful approach, unlike much of which has been seen at other Occupy hubs nationwide, has ensured the movement's longevity, Wagoner told the Daily Pilot.

"Some people went at it the wrong way -- they went at it confrontational, instead of peaceful," Wagoner said. "In confrontation mode, people always lose, especially when it's violent confrontation."

-- Sarah Peters, Times Community News

Photo: Abdur Outlaw, left, and Synthian Sharp talk with Irvine police at the Occupy Orange County-Irvine encampment at the Irvine CIty Center.

Credit: Scott Smeltzer / Times Community News