Monday, January 30, 2012

Occupy DC Eviction Showdown–or Not

Occupy DC Showdown

Over the weekend, the Occupy DC encampment received notification that enforcement action for their residence in McPherson Square would begin at noon today – 30 January.  I arrived at McPherson Square at about 10:15am to document the day’s events.  Upon my arrival, the protestors were outnumbered 3 to 1 by the media.  The police were conspicuously absent.

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At about 11:30 am, a small group of police took a tour of the park, surrounded by protestors and media, but no enforcement actions were taken.  I remained at McPherson square until 2 pm during which little more than dancing, singing, chanting, tenting of the monument, extensive media interviews, a press conference by a police representative, and a lot of mucking about occurred. 

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I will let the photography tell the rest of the story, but a couple things caught my attention.  First, it was clear that the protestors are not of one mind.  When the police visited, there were equal numbers antagonizing the police and others demanding that no attention be given their visit.  Second, as I stood in the mass of reporters, cameras, and video jocks, it was clear to me that nothing would happen when the witching hour of noon approached.  With complete media saturation, it would have been unproductive to highlight protesters being herded off in restraints or use of force against the more aggressive faction of the protestors.

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Here is the rest of the story in photos.

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Have fun, and go make some great photography.

Craig

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