(Image source: Flickr/qwrrty)

BY CHRISTINA HARTMAN

ANCHOR MEGAN MURPHY

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says Occupy Wall Street protesters are welcome to stay as long as they want --

But “Occupy” protesters in Boston aren’t feeling the love from local authorities. Police there arrested some 100 protesters overnight after they tried expanding their encampment. Boston’s mayor says the protesters were trying to move into an area where the city just spent $150,000 in renovations. (Video: Boston Patch)

Boston’s WHDH tells the story from the authorities’ perspective.

“Yesterday's protesters began moving across the street from the tent city. Boston police say they would not allow the group to expand and passed our leaflets asking protesters to move back to the designated area. When they did not comply they were taken into custody.”

So that’s one side of the story: Police asked the protesters nicely not to move.

Protesters, on the other hand, say the police “brutally attacked” them -- in quote “full riot gear.” (Image: OccupyBoston.com)

OccupyBoston.com provided photos of the arrests. The police -- at least in these photographs -- do not appear to be dressed in full riot gear but rather their regular uniforms.

Of all Boston’s local stations -- WFXT devoted the most time Tuesday morning to covering the arrests.

Reporter Elizabeth Hopkins spent the morning live across the street from the scene of the arrests. She suggests -- this has really come down to he-said-she-said.

 “Occupy Boston has maintained they're a peaceful protest, they have been respectful of the city and felt they were within their right to protest in a public area and also say that the police beat them, that there was brutality, there were people being pushed to there ground and hit. However, the Boston police department is reporting no injuries.”

Boston Mayor Tom Menino told reporters Tuesday morning he’s sympathetic to the cause, but the city will not tolerate civil disobedience.

“There are a lot of other folks in the city who live here and go about their daily chores, and I’m not going to allow them to paralyze the city.” (Video: NECN)

Boston police, meanwhile, are taking to Twitter to get their side of the story out. Their most recent tweet? To the protesters:

“The BPD respects your right to protests peacfully. We ask for your ongoing cooperation.”

The 100 or so protesters arrested Tuesday were charged with unlawful assembly. AFP reports most were freed on bail. Occupy Boston is asking supporters to help cover the cost of legal defense.