NYC officials take power and fuel from Occupy Wall Street

From The Atlantic Wire

New York City officials took fuel and generators away from demonstrators in Zuccotti Park. It must have been a chilly night.

Fire officials removed the items to eliminate a safety hazard, the New York Daily News reported. "They made an announcement on a bullhorn saying: 'We are here to take the generators, could you please bring them up to us on the corner of Broadway and Liberty St.,'" one demonstrator told the paper.

But others told CBS' New York affiliate that it seemed to be more of an attempt to disarm the demonstrations than to eliminate the chance of fire. "The argument could be made they just wanted to get at our power source," one said. They've got a backup plan, though:

“We’ve got five bike-powered generator systems that are coming from Boston and we’ve got five more plus other ones that are going to supplement as well so we’re completely, completely off the grid,” said demonstrator Lauren Minis.

Insiders at Occupy Wall Street say they expect to have their media center and the food service area fully powered and illuminated by Monday.

They will have an additional adversary on Saturday. Winter weather, possibly including snow, is expected to hit the northeast beginning in the afternoon.