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In a predawn raid, officers with the New York Police Department cleared out the "Occupy City Hall" encampment that had begun as an anti-police protest but morphed into a gathering dominated mostly by homeless people.

According to the Wall Street Journal, most people at the encampment left the area peacefully but seven people were arrested, including one who threw a brick at an officer during the eviction. The object struck the officer's shield and he wasn't injured

At a news conference after the raid, Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said, "Ultimately, it was, I think I would categorize it as one for the win column and another step toward getting back to normalcy back here in New York."

The encampment began in late June when anti-police activists began camping on the grass near City Hall, where the mayor and City Council work.

Demands included at least $1 billion to be cut from the NYPD's $6 billion budget and about a week later $1 billion had been removed from the police budget.