Friday morning saw protesters at the “Capitol Hill Occupied Protest” (CHOP) stand off with city workers who arrived to clear away street barriers set up around the zone, with one activist seen laying in the road to stop equipment from entering the area. Following the tense interaction and a lengthy meeting with protesters, however, Mayor Jenny Durkan now says the barricades will come down over the weekend.

At the meeting, city officials and activists discussed “the restoration of the Capitol Hill area and long-term changes to transform policing,” Durkan said in a statement, adding that she sought to balance the protester’s First Amendment rights with public safety.