Evicted Occupiers ponder goals and strategies as cops stay present and alert

SO, WHAT happens next?

It's a simple question that means dramatically different things right now to the city and to Occupy Philly, whose members were finally evicted early yesterday from their Dilworth Plaza campsite.

The protest movement has long- and short-term problems that don't have clear solutions.

In the aftermath of the eviction - in which 52 protesters were arrested during an exhausting predawn showdown with police - a handful of demonstrators hunkered down outside Police Headquarters yesterday to ponder their next move as police began to release their friends.

Some acknowledged the need to develop a plan that didn't focus on camping in public spaces and looking, as one member said, "like hippies just hanging out."

Before occupiers were released, more than 100 protesters marched yesterday from Rittenhouse Square, past City Hall to Police Headquarters, then to Franklin Square Park, where they tried to hash out a strategy that would keep the movement in the public eye beyond this week.

Although the meeting ended without a decision, city officials were staying prepared for whatever Occupy Philly does next.

Police Chief Inspector Joseph Sullivan said that that meant maintaining a presence at City Hall and Rittenhouse Square, while keeping a close eye on other potential gathering spots, like Logan Circle and Washington Square.

"We have to make sure they don't try to reconstitute the encampment," said Sullivan, who's in charge of the numerous cops on the Occupy Philly detail.

During the general assembly meeting yesterday, Occupy Philly organizers said that the second phase of the movement is not about encampments, but about protesters forming stronger bonds with each other.

"I think it's clear from tonight that this movement does not need a piece of concrete to be a strong, potent source for social and economic justice," said Gwen Snyder, an Occupy Philly member.

Earlier in the day, city officials and members of the protest movement offered opposite assessments of the eviction.

A small army of cops - some on bikes, some on horses, others clad in riot gear - assembled near City Hall at about 1 a.m. and followed the protesters as they left the plaza and wandered around downtown for several hours.

Some cops scuffled with protesters as the morning wore on. A female Occupy Philly member suffered broken toes when a police horse accidentally stepped on her near City Hall, protesters said.