[UPDATE] Iowa City's Occupy Wall Street Group May Face Showdown With Police

[Updated: 2:48 p.m.] The Associated Press is reporting that participants in the Occupy Iowa City demonstration may face citations if they do not vacate when College Green Park closes at 11 p.m.

The occupation is set to begin at 6 p.m. on Friday and continue indefinitely.

Police said participants could avoid fines if they get proper permission through the city, but organizers say they do not plan to do so, according to the AP.

During a meeting on Wednesday evening, potential participants said they planned a peaceful demonstration and were not necessarily looking for confrontation, but seemed to acknowledge the possibility.

"Things could get very bad, and we need to realize that," said Amy Hart, 24, of Durant, who plans to participate in the demonstration with her 3-year-old daughter.

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The issues underlying the Occupy Wall Street movement - greed, excess and corruption - are not confined to New York City, say a diverse mix of people who plan to launch a lengthy protest in Iowa City as a show of solidarity.

Organized under the banner Occupy Iowa City, a group of residents, students and others plan to stage in beginning Friday afternoon and stay there for, well, let's just say they didn't make plans for breaking camp. The start will coincide with a peace march to end the war in Afghanistan.

"I am young. I am part of the youth. What happens in the next five years will determine how I live my life. It would be hypocritical of me to bemoan from the couch rather than get off my (butt)," said Jared Krauss, 21, a University of Iowa junior.

Advertised mainly through Facebook and word of mouth, more than 100 people crammed into a public gather space called Public Space One in the basement of the Jefferson Building on Wednesday evening to hatch the plans.

"My family came here ready to occupy tonight," said Amy Hart, 24, of Durant, who attended the meeting with groceries and her 3-year-old daughter, Baie, who was toting a princess backpack.

They discussed location, timing and developing an Internet presence, practical needs such as shelter, bathrooms and food, and contingency plans, such as having a lawyer present at all times, developing liaisons with police and policing themselves to prevent unruly behavior.

The group hopes to build numbers and work in shifts to keep the momentum growing and going. Hart, for example, intends to keep her schedule as a full-time student. Members of student and worker union attended the meeting and indicated they wanted to lend support, which mirrors what is happening in New York.

David Goodner, an activist who lives in Des Moines and has been involved in numerous demonstrations, said he expects the steps taken in Iowa City on Wednesday will embolden similar through the state, such as in Des Moines, Fairfield and Mason City.

"What you guys decided here tonight will give incredible momentum to the other movements around the state," he said.

They plan to hold a second general assembly at 7 p.m., Thursday evening at College Green.