Members of Occupy D.C. vowed Feb. 5 to continue to press for an end to economic inequity after a weekend of arrests and inspection sweeps by U.S. Park Police that all but shut down the twin encampments less than two blocks from the White House.
While in other cities Occupy movement protest camps have been dismantled by local government officials, the D.C. contingent of the ad hoc national movement that was forged around widespread discontent at economic iniquity went nearly five months with only a handful of arrests and very little disorder before police sweeps and arrests Feb. 4 and 5.
During that two-day period, police arrested 12 persons. Three of them were charged with assault on a police officer after a U.S. Park Police officer sustained facial injuries from a thrown brick.
DC’s Occupy Movement had been set up at two locations since Oct.6, McPherson Square, a popular park two blocks from the White House and Freedom Plaza, a public square adjacent to a D.C. government office building.
On Feb. 4, the Occupy camp at McPherson Square was raided by U.S. Park Service Police in riot gear accompanied by workers in hazmat uniforms and dismantled the camp.
Late that night park police continued their inspections by targeting the Freedom Plaza location two blocks east of the White House. The next afternoon, police on horses, in armored vans, motorcycles, squad cars and on foot, accompanied by National Park Service workers in hazmat gear inspected each tent in McPherson Square. Police issued a five-minute warning that they would enforce regulations against sleeping or camping in National Park Service areas, including McPherson Square and that tents that had bedding or other sleeping gear would have to remove it or face eviction.
Police officials said they were enforcing the permit agreement signed by the movement organizers several months ago. http://afro.com/sections/news/washington/story.htm?storyid=73609
