City officials declared Tuesday that overnight camping is illegal at the downtown plaza where protesters with the Occupy Baltimore movement have been staying in tents for three weeks.

The decision frustrated many of the protesters, but city officials did not say whether the group would be cleared from McKeldin Square, at the intersection of Pratt and Light streets.

A spokesman for Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said officials would enforce “individual acts of illegal behavior on a case-by-case basis.”

“City government is committed to protecting the free speech rights of Baltimore’s citizens, and that is why any citizen is free to peacefully demonstrate at McKeldin Plaza in accordance with established guidelines,” the spokesman, Ryan O’Doherty, said in a statement. “McKeldin Plaza, however, is not a campground, and overnight camping is prohibited.”

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According to a memo from the agency, officials asked the protesters to limit their gatherings to two people overnight and to stay confined to a smaller area of the square during the day. In exchange, the city offered to provide 10 tents for the protesters during the day to shield them from the elements and to allow a portable toilet at the square.

Protesters said those demands are so burdensome they could destroy the movement. The activists also said the city wanted them to appoint a spokesperson to act as a leader for the group — a move they say is counter to their core egalitarian values.

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I find this strange because I know Mayor Rawlings-Blake had stated previously that she was okay with everything, and she felt that the protesters had legitimate grievances.