The Eugene City Council voted 5-2 on Tuesday to disband the Occupy Eugene camp at Washington-Jefferson Park as soon as practically possible in an emergency session called by Mayor Kitty Piercy.
The Council had previously voted to allow OE to stay in the park until at least Jan. 11, 2012.
Piercy called the session after hearing of a number of reported assaults at the OE site. One incident allegedly resulted in a man being taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. The man was choked, beaten and suffered multiple facial fractures in the incident, according to EPD. The conflict may have been a mutual fight.
“An extremely drunk individual with a heart condition came onto the (OE) site and started a fight with an (OE) occupant,” OE said about the incident in a news release.
The police have seen an increase in conflicts in the camp, and this was the fifth fight-related incident that police had responded to since 7:00 p.m. Monday, EPD said.
“The incidents from last night tragically confirm the dangers of the site,” City Manager Jon Ruiz said in a statement.  “We will continue to reach out to OE representatives and non-profit service providers to close the camp and restore the site with thought and compassion, mindful of the need to immediately restore health and safety.”
OE organizers and police have begun discussing a reasonable timetable for the occupiers to leave the park, but some OE members say they will not leave on their own and will have to be forced out by the city.
OE organizer Jamil Jonna is unhappy with the sudden change. In an email, Jonna said he expects the Council to only give the movement a “short period before forcibly clearing the occupation site.”
As police begin to dismantle the Occupy site, Jonna said the  Eugene police “are setting the stage for a very ugly conflict that can so easily be avoided.”