DENVER — The Denver police cleared a protest encampment allied with the Occupy Wall Street movement in a downtown square Saturday evening. Sixteen people were arrested, according to the police.

“We warned the individuals about blocking right of way and setting up tents,” said a police spokesman, Sonny Jackson. “We asked them to take some of the items down, and they refused.”

The police arrived at Civic Center Park early Saturday evening and began dismantling the camp.

“We asked them to step back, and collected anything that was left behind,” Mr. Jackson said.

Protesters said that some grabbed their belongings and went to regroup at Skyline Park, which is about a mile away, near the Denver branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.