At midnight today, they Tebowed.

Occupy Denver protesters took a knee at Broadway and West 13th Avenue as Denver police officers lined up at the Denver Public Library, corralling them after pressing them from their weeks-old encampment.

Officers arrived at 11:30 p.m. Monday to remove the shelters at the eastern edge of Civic Center. Police Chief Robert White had earlier warned the protestors their time was up to remove structures from the park on their own.

They’d be removed forcibly if need be.

When the Tebowing was over, “God Bless America” rang out before the crowd of about 40 protestors retreated south on Broadway, shouting pledges that the occupation was not over.

The clash had been intense and swift, with police shoving protestors and journalists alike with their batons, but it appeared only one protestor was taken into custody.

Afterwards, White said officers had hoped to ask the protestors a final time to remove their belongings, but when two prostestors began setting the shelters aflame, officers and firefighters had to move it.

A firetruck moved in to douse the flames as a battery of police closed ranks shouting, “Move back!” to allow firefighters access.

Police said two protestors were arrested on arson charges and two were arrested on charges of failing to obey a lawful order.

“We certainly respect their First Amendment rights and it wasn’t our intention to infringe on those rights,” White said in an impromptu press briefing. “But also value the rights of other citizens who live our community.”

The shanties had lined the sidewalks along the east and west sides of Broadway near the park, making it difficult to pass.

A police spokesman was not immediately available early this morning to provide any information about possible reports of injuries sustained by protesters or police.

White had issued an ultimatum Monday afternoon to Occupy Denver protesters, saying that time was up and the city would forcibly dismantle their encampment near Civic Center at any moment.

The notice given at a meeting behind closed doors at police headquarters was the latest development in the battle between the Occupy Denver protesters and the city over the permanent demonstration on sidewalks that border Broadway between Colfax and 14th avenues.

Rumors of an impending clear-out swirled throughout the encampment late Monday night as some protesters milled about warming fires set inside trash cans while others quietly made off with their belongings across snow-dusted streets.

By 11:15 p.m., little more than dropping temperatures seemed to nip at the 30 or so people at the park’s eastern edge. A helicopter roared by at about 11:20 p.m. Then at 11:25, several police cars blocked off Broadway. The removal was about to begin.

Protesters have built shelters, arranged tarps, set down sleeping bags and even tied a kayak to a tree, against violating a city ordinance that forbids “encumbrances” on public rights of way. They’ve tried to state their case in federal court, to no avail.

“A decision was made that that needs to occur. They were asked to do it. And they decided they weren’t going to do it,” White said earlier Monday. “Now it is on us to make that happen.”

The protesters left the meeting disgusted, calling the meeting “incredibly unproductive” and asking if they could take the crackers, fruits and veggie trays that were provided back to their protest.

Said White: “Of course.”

Patricia Hughes splits her time between Occupy Denver and being a nurse. She said the structures are shelters for people with nowhere else to go.

“You take away the structures, you are sentencing people to death,” she said.

Staff photographer Aaron Ontiveroz contributed to this story.

Joey Bunch: 303-954-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com