More than two hours after a deadline to vacate their encampment, Wall Street protesters in Los Angeles are showing no signs of retreating.

And despite the midnight deadline for the hundreds of protesters to leave the camp at a park by City Hall, police have yet to take action.

Police earlier said arrests will likely be made, but Cmdr. Andrew Smith said Monday that he's not going to discuss timelines or tactics.

He tells The Associated Press that so far the crowd has been pretty cooperative.

Smith says police want to carry out their orders to clear the park as "gently as we possibly can."

He says they hope they don't have to use force or arrest anyone.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

Wall Street protesters in Los Angeles defied the mayor's early Monday deadline to vacate their encampment near City Hall, with about 1,000 flooding into the area as hundreds of tents remained standing as they have for nearly two months.

A celebratory atmosphere filled the night with protesters milling about in seeming good spirits. A group on bicycles circled the block, one of them in a cow suit. Organizers led chants with a bull horn.

"The best way to keep a non-violent movement non-violent is to throw a party, and keep it festive and atmospheric," said Brian Masterson.

Shortly after the 12:01 a.m. PST Monday deadline, there was only a small police presence. About two dozen motorcycle officers remained across the street from the camp, while a half dozen in riot gear blocked off a nearby street.

"We're still here, it's after 12, ain't nobody throwing anything at the cops, they haven't come in and broken anyone's noses yet, so it's a beautiful thing," said Adam Rice, a protester standing across the street from police in riot gear.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said earlier that the grounds would be closed after the deadline, while Police Chief Charlie Beck promised that arrests would eventually be made if protesters did not comply.

But in a statement issued shortly before midnight, the mayor said police "will allow campers ample time to remove their belongings peacefully and without disruption."

As the deadline approached, people poured into the grounds, likely many of them answering calls on Facebook and Twitter to come out and show solidarity.

Many protesters including the chief organizers have said they had no intention of vacating, and only a handful of campers cleared out over the weekend.

The Los Angeles showdown follows police actions in other cities _ sometimes involving the use of pepper spray and tear gas _ that resulted in the removal of long-situated demonstration sites. Some of those encampments had been in use almost since the movement against economic disparity and perceived corporate greed began with Occupy Wall Street in Manhattan two months ago.

Well after midnight, some protesters began marching into the streets, and several crossed the street to police headquarters.

"Me and my friends, we are not leaving no matter what," said Brian Guzman, who stood on the street corner holding a "Power to the People" sign. "Not until we get some changes."

The mayor did not say what tactics authorities would use for those who refuse to leave _ or when they will begin using them.

Masterson said he had turned his own tent into a "non-violent booby trap" by filling it with sandbags to make it tough to tear down.

"We can't beat the LAPD, but we can make it difficult for them to do their job, and have fun while we're doing it," Masterson said.

Elsewhere, a deadline set by the city for Occupy Philadelphia to leave the site where it has camped for nearly two months passed Sunday without any arrests.

The scene outside Philadelphia's City Hall was quiet most of Sunday and by early Monday the numbers of protesters _ and police officers _ had decreased.

Philadelphia's protesters have managed to avoid aggressive confrontations so far. By early Monday there was still hope the City of Brotherly Love would continue to be largely violence-free.

But eight people were arrested in Maine Sunday after protesters in the Occupy Augusta encampment in Capitol Park took down their tents and packed their camping gear after being told to get a permit or move their shelters.

In Los Angeles, some campers packed up their tents and belongings to avoid police trouble, but said they intended to return without them in support of their fellow protesters.

Scott Shuster was one of those breaking down his camp, but he said it was only to protect his property and he planned to remain.

"I just don't want to lose my tent," he said.

Others moved their tents to the sidewalk so they were technically out of the park.

Villaraigosa, a former labor organizer himself, has said he sympathizes with the movement but that he felt it was time it moved beyond holding on to "a particular patch of park." He said public health and safety could not be sustained for a long period.

Chief Charlie Beck told the Los Angeles Times in an interview published Sunday that he expected to make arrests at some point.

"I have no illusions that everybody is going to leave," Beck said. "We anticipate that we will have to make arrests."