BELLINGHAM, Wash. — Black-clad protesters purportedly advocating for local homeless persons were turned out of the Bellingham South Hill neighborhood of Seth Fleetwood Saturday after about 30 minutes of confrontation with local residents.

The Bellingham Occupied Protest group called for a noisy Saturday protest in their Instagram page last week.

The Bellingham Herald reports neighbors created a protective line around Bellingham Mayor Seth Fleetwood’s home.

Social media posts showed protesters screaming obscenities at neighbors and at least two protesters punched neighbors and a local news reporter.

The city’s web page addressing illegal tent encampments is still promising an end to the camp at Civic Athletic complex Tuesday, saying law enforcement assistance will reluctantly be requested as a last resort if campers do not leave voluntarily.

As that deadline approaches, the number of homeless persons living in tents or cars at Sunset Pond continues to steadily increase.