The End of Occupy DC

On Saturday, February 4, 2012 in Washington, D.C.'s McPherson Square, U.S. Park Police in riot gear, some on horseback, along with a hazmat team, raided the Occupy DC encampment and set up a perimeter around the park and began to clear out tents, bedding, debris and other belongings with forklifts and trucks.

They said they were enforcing the no camping regulations and not evicting the demonstrators.

This occurred in front of protesters, onlookers and the media on a cool, rainy, dreary winter day in the Nation's Capital.

Streets were blocked off to traffic around McPherson Square by the Metropolitan Police Department traffic enforcement division.

While many in the Occupy movement are criticizing the heavy-handed tactics and unnecessary show of force by law enforcement, the U.S. Park Police are actually doing the movement a favor by shutting down the encampment. It will allow the next phase of the movement to begin, whatever that may be.

Occupy DC was one of the last remaining encampments after other cities such as New York had evicted their demonstrators. Frankly, the encampment at McPherson Square was beginning to become an eyesore and attracting anarchists and others not interested in reshaping our democracy to benefit the 99% but in destroying the system altogether. And the reports of rats and filthy conditions were becoming a distraction from the main message of this movement, which is to address the unsustainable social and economic inequality in America.

The slogan "you can't evict an idea" that gained traction after Zuccotti Park was cleared out, will certainly apply to Occupy DC. Their heroic actions and sacrifice on behalf of working people everywhere will always be honored and one day there will be a plaque at McPherson Square remembering the brave men and women who slept under the stars to dream of a better America. But for now, it's time to move on.

Here are more pictures taken Saturday afternoon of the end of Occupy DC at McPherson Square.

Occupy D.C.'s Last Stand

Occupy DC demonstrators erect a huge blue tarp labeled 'Tent of Dreams' over the McPherson Statue, in defiance of a U.S. Park Police order to enforce no camping rules after noon today.

Tonight there might be arrests. There might even be violence. But this afternoon in the epicenter of the K Street lobbying corridor, a symbol of what so many Americans believe is wrong with Washington, Occupy DC at McPherson Square made a defiant last stand in a joyous celebration of one of the last remaining encampments inspired by last October's original Occupy Wall Street protests at Zuccotti Park in New York City.

Yesterday the U.S. Park Police, who have authority over the park, warned demonstrators of a noon deadline today when they would begin enforcing a no camping ban. At about 11:45 a.m., in front of a swarm of media and hundreds of curious onlookers, some of the protestors climbed the statue of Major General James Birdseye McPherson and hung a big blue tarp called “Tent of Dreams.” Then the Occupiers entered the tarp and began chanting and singing and listening to music.

While many downtown office workers looked down from the roofs of their buildings in anticipation of seeing a showdown, it never materialized as the noon deadline passed. There were only a scattering of uniformed police officers manning the corners of the park. So the afternoon instead turned into somewhat of a final hurrah for a phase of a movement that has inspired so many people around the world.

Even for those who dismiss the Occupy movement with harsh words aimed at the lack of organization and singular message, or even criticizing the “aging hippies” and “entitled white kids” that are involved, as many Tea Party trolls angrily comment on news websites, they cannot deny the power that Occupy has had. Income inequality has become a part of the national consciousness and populist rage aimed at money in politics is now being discussed by the mainstream media and politicians. Even President Obama's State of the Union recently took a page from the Occupy movement by addressing the growing gap between the wealthiest 1% and the majority of Americans and calling for economic fairness.

Tomorrow the tents may be gone and the jails may be full, but Occupy has already won because they have put political and economic justice front and center. And until our economic and political systems start benefiting the 99% instead of just the 1%, then the Occupy message will continue to resonate regardless of whether or not people are physically occupying a public space.

Here is video of the "Tent of Dreams" tarp being hoisted over the McPherson Statue.



And here is video of the scene on Occupy DC's last day at McPherson Square.



Here are more pictures from an eventful day in downtown Washington.

Occupy DC at Freedom Plaza Still Rockin' and Rollin'

Across the country Occupiers are entering the next phase of the movement by abandoning encampments and taking over foreclosed homes to bring attention to the housing crisis. But in our Nation's Capital the tent cities at McPherson Square and Freedom Plaza are still standing strong. During a recent visit to Occupy DC at Freedom Plaza there was even a Jimi Hendrix cover band electrifying a small audience gathered near Pennsylvania Avenue.

It appears the populist movement is beginning to resonate with leaders as evidenced by President Obama channeling Theodore Roosevelt's New Nationalism in Kansas yesterday with a fiery speech about the growing inequality in America. Also yesterday a group calling itself "Take Back the Capitol" occupied the hallways and offices of Congress demanding that lawmakers extend unemployment benefits, end tax cuts for the wealthy and pass the American Jobs Act. The timing couldn't have been better as news came out that the "Do Nothing Congress" is aptly titled because this session of Congress has passed the fewest number of bills in at least 10 non-election years. And today there were plans to protest against corporate influence in politics by shutting down K Street -- a major boulevard in downtown Washington that is home to some of the biggest lobbying firms in the country and has become a symbol of special interest money corrupting the political system. Demonstrators were also planning to march on the White House and Supreme Court today as well.

Here is video of the band jammin' with Jimi.

Here are more photos from Freedom Plaza.

Photos: Occupy DC Turns into Tent City

This past summer I saw tent city protests all over Israel. These mostly young Israelis pitched tents to protest the high housing costs and lack of affordable housing in Israel. Voluntarily living in tents was a powerful symbolic demonstration. Well, the tent cities have come to our shores, at least in Washington, D.C. as part of the Occupy DC branch of the larger Occupy Wall Street movement. But these tents are for more practical purposes -- to protect the growing community of the hunkered-down demonstrators in McPherson Square from the rain and harsh elements as cool fall weather settles in and winter will bring the cold and snow to the nation's capital.

Here are recent photos.

Photos: Occupy D.C.

Occupy D.C. is an offshoot of the larger Occupy Wall Street protest movement taking place in New York City. People are organizing in other cities across the country under the unofficial banner Occupy Together. The demonstrators are encamped at McPherson Square and Freedom Plaza in downtown Washington. Their literature says the participants are "citizens, professionals, students, activists, parents, unemployed workers, voters and the underrepresented who represent the 99%." They are interested in "separating money from politics and improving the country's infrastructure to fix healthcare, education, environment and the economy."

Is this a fad or the foundation of the left's own Tea Party movement? That question has yet to be answered. But right now there is something stirring in cities across the United States of America. And it can't be ignored. Here are photos of some of the signs and the atmosphere at McPherson Square in D.C. this past weekend.