McPherson Square was flush with protesters, onlookers and reporters waiting to see what action the U.S. Park Police would take in enforcing the National Park Service’s final warning that Occupy D.C. is in violation of federal regulations about camping in a public space.
The downtown park was flush with activity at midday, as a few hundred protesters braced themselves for a police crackdown that, so far, has not arrived. Though NPS said last week that it would begin citing protesters who continue to camp out in McPherson Square and Freedom Plaza after four months at noon today, when the clock struck 12 p.m., Occupy D.C.’s brand of creative disruption went ahead uninhibited.
To the sound of the boilerplate chants that have become a constant soundtrack of the Occupy Wall Street movement—”We are the 99 percent,” “The whole world is watching” and the like—a group of protesters climbed the statue of James B. McPherson, the Civil War general for whom the square is named, and unfurled a massive blue tarp that enveloped the circle of mud and patchy grass at the statue’s base.
Under the tarp, which was painted with stars, crescent moons and at least one pony—and labeled the “Tent of Dreams”—several dozen occupiers moved their own tents beneath the statue and continued their chants.
Elsewhere in the square, people on their lunch breaks from nearby offices stopped by, hoping to see a bit more of a show.
Peter Lawrence, who a salesman for a technology firm on K Street NW, said while he hadn’t really given much thought to Occupy D.C. over the past few months—though he’s noticed them every day—he and a few of his coworkers had dropped in to see what the police would do.
As of about 2 p.m., the police had not done much other than circle the park a few times, making sure the protesters were emptying out their tents. The NPS ban on camping does not restrict the presence of tents, but any such structures must not be used for sleeping and thus emptied of sleeping bags, pillows and blankets. Sgt. David Schlosser, a Park Police spokesman, addressing a large crowd of reporters and protesters, said no arrests or evictions have been made so far, and that the residents of both McPherson Square and Freedom Plaza have been compliant with the new enforcement measures.
That did not stop the occupiers from interrupting Schlosser several times about an incident yesterday in which a McPherson protester was stunned with a Taser and arrested for disorderly conduct after removing several fliers NPS and Park Police posted on tents as a notice to protesters that the rules barring camping would be enforced.
Members of Occupy D.C. also lashed out at Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), the chairman of the House Government Oversight Committee who last week held a contentious hearing on the income-inequality movement’s extended stay at McPherson Square.
Whether or not police begin issuing citations or making arrests, several protesters interviewed said they don’t plan to leave anytime soon. Georgia Pearce, who in November accused a Metropolitan Police Department officer of strangling her at a march outside the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, said she was undeterred by the prospect of staying awake maintaining a 24-hour vigil, which is permitted under NPS regulations.
“The plan is to hold the space,” Ben Zucker, another demonstrator, said. “This is a statement against the system. Sleeping is a tactic. We do much more than sleep here.”
John Zangas, a 52-year-old telecommunications worker, said that since Occupy D.C. sprouted up, he’s gone to his day job on K Street and come home to McPherson Square. But today, he was removing a sleeping bag and other bedding materials from his squat tent in the northeastern corner of the park. He’s leaving the tent behind, but starting tonight, he’ll be sleeping at his apartment again.
“I’ll come by at night,” Zangas said. “Maybe meditate a while.”
Patrick Smith, a freshman at the George Washington University taking a break from his internship at an office on 15th Street NW, said that while “lots of people are in concurrence on the disparity of wealth,” he finds himself indifferent toward the protesters, many of whom are close to his age.
As the afternoon wore on, protesters continued to revel under the tarp draped over the McPherson statue. Many continued chanting, others sang a protest song set to the tune of “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” while others danced to a soundtrack of songs like House of Pain’s “Jump Around” and Tupac Shakur’s “Letter to the President.”
Perhaps the most colorful protester at McPherson Square today was Christopher Seerden, who arrived in Washington earlier this month from Santa Cruz, Calif. to take part in Occupy Congress. Seerden cut holes in his tent, decorated it with anti-corporate symbols and wore it as a piece of clothing. He said he got the “tent monster” idea from watching video footage of anti-government protests in Melbourne, Australia. Seerden didn’t seem to mind that in turning his tent into a costume, he had effectively ruined it as sleeping quarters.
“Someone sold me this tent for $3,” he said with a chuckle.
