Police have cleared protesters linked to the “Occupy Wall Street” movement from a central park in the northwestern U.S. city of Portland, Oregon, but the protesters are vowing to continue their demonstrations elsewhere in the city.

The protesters initially defied a midnight deadline Sunday to leave the park, where hundreds of them have been camping since October. Thousands of supporters of the movement gathered Saturday night to help stop the police eviction.

But as the crowd dispersed Sunday morning, observers say the police quietly moved into the park and began dismantling tents and gathering trash.

Portland's mayor said the police would erect fences around the park to prevent protesters from gathering there again. The city has cited concerns over hygiene and safety as the reason for dispersing the demonstrators.

Organizers put a message on their Facebook page Sunday advertising a new “rendezvous point” , saying “we will not be silent.”

These protests in Portland are part of a loosely tied nationwide movement against corporate greed and economic inequality that began in New York City in September.