Wall Street Protests

[glatt]

With all the news lately about clashes with the police, I thought I'd remind everyone that not every city is experiencing that. DC has had almost no confrontations between the occupiers and the police. Based on my stroll around town in a light drizzle at lunch, both camps are still alive and well.

This is the occupy site on Pennsylvania Avenue, halfway between the White House and Congress. These guys have a permit and the city is basically saying they can make themselves comfortable here. There are half a dozen port-a-potties. Only a handful of people standing out in the rain. I didn't do a tent check to see if the others were staying dry inside their tents or if the tents were vacant.


And this is the occupy site on K Street. There were more people here. A couple dozen out in the rain. Most of the buildings nearby contain the offices of lobbyists. This site is three blocks from the White House. The city has said that they have the right to gather here, but they do not have a permit for the tents. The cops are not harassing them though. In fact, there were no police in sight at either location. I read in the paper this morning that a nearby health club was letting them use their showers.


I'd guess the difference between these peaceful sites and the sites in other cities is the response of the local government. The only time there was a problem here was when the protesters marched on the site of some meeting and blocked traffic. Then the police got involved to clear the street.