Occupy Wall St. face New York's first snow storm of the season Saturday without the benefit of propane tanks and generators that they had been using to cook food and keep warm.
The early season snowstorm was the result of unseasonably cold air mixing with a storm system on the East Coast. Forecasters predicted power outages and downed trees in some areas.
A day earlier, up to 40 firefighters removed the group's propane tanks and six generators, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. That left the demonstrators to battle the cold weather seeping through their tents, blankets and sleeping bags.
"These are fire hazards (and) against the law," Bloomberg said during his weekly WOR-AM radio show Friday. "Our first concern is safety."
Demonstrators described the removal as an attempt to restrict Internet use and make their lives more difficult as a cold front moved into the region.
Occupy Wall Street spokesman Ed Needham said the removal of the generators was "certainly a directed effort to thwart our situation."
He said solar powered generators were being brought in to replace those taken.
"It makes us feel like this is a confrontational relationship between the city and the park, and that's not the type of relationship we're trying to foster," Needham said.
"We'll do just fine this winter. Our volunteers are as creative and resourceful as they are committed."