Screen shot of protestors at Piatt Park, shortly before 1am on October 21. Livestream at http://www.livestream.com/occupycincy

After midnight this morning, Cincinnati police arrested about twenty members of Occupy Cincinnati before a crowd of several hundred supporters, according to eyewitnesses.

The growing group of residents had been demonstrating against a system of “corporate welfare”–exemplified by the bank bailouts of 2008 and 2009–that they say tramples the interests of 99 percent of the U.S. population, while catering to the demands of the wealthiest and most politically influential one percent.

About twenty members of the non-violent, democratically-run group were arrested and their tents dismantled, four days after the movement filed a federal injunction against the City for the $105 tickets repeatedly issued to each occupier, nightly since the demonstration began.

One occupier, who was running the livestream, said police behaved respectfully during the arrests.

“Even though they’re following unlawful orders, they’ve been very polite the whole time.” he said.

“They didn’t come in riot gear, they didn’t drag people around, they just escorted them onto the bus.”

According to the demonstrator addressing the livestream at the moment of this writing (who may have identified himself earlier during the feed) those arrested were taken to the Price Hill police station in District 3.

To follow the protest through its own eyes, visit http://www.livestream.com/occupycincy