Judge gives Occupy Pittsburgh 3 days to leave camp

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A judge says Occupy Pittsburgh protesters have three days to leave an open parklet owned by Bank of New York Mellon Corp. downtown, saying there’s no law that “permits a group of people to take over someone else’s private property.”

As many as 100 protesters have camped on Mellon Green since Oct. 15. The bank sued in late December saying it owned the land and noted that it closed the park each winter under normal circumstances anyway.

Attorneys for the group have argued that the land amounted to a public forum even though it was privately owned, because people are welcome to walk through the area.

Allegheny County Judge Christine Ward disagreed and said even if the land were public during the other seasons, it is “simply private property” during the winter.