The U.S. Park Police descended upon the Occupy D.C. Encampment at McPherson Square early Saturday morning in an effort to remove the protesters ability to camp overnight in the park.
Local media outlets report that U.S. Park Police Officers in riot gear and on horseback conducted a pre-dawn raid on the park (see the links below for the full story).
According to the reports that more than half-dozen protesters were arrested in the raid and one U.S. Park Police Officer was injured, when a brick was thrown at him by an unknown protester.
I, in keeping with this website’s efforts to bring you firsthand accounts on the stories we report, personally went down to McPherson Square to observe the post raid efforts of the U.S. Park Police and the Occupy D.C. Protesters.
The U.S. Park Police continued heavy present inside McPherson Square, outfitted in riot gear and other officers on horseback, backed up by D.C. Metro Police and D.C. Transportation Officials, who blocked off several streets in and around McPherson Square, while about 75 hardcore protesters were standing in the middle of K Street observing as Park Employees in hazmat suits and using forklifts removed their tents and other creature confronts from the square they have called home since last October.
As the night wear on and the cold rain picked up, many protesters simply gathered what they could from their former encampment and left the area. Some more vocal protesters, who gather across the street seeking shelter from the rain, screamed and cussed at the Police and Park Employees as they set upon their tasks. One more vocal protester said; “He could not believe that President Obama was allowing this to happen” and many of his fellow protesters felt before their removal that they had many allies in some of the City, U.S. Park and National Elected Officials.
The remain members and their council leadership gather in K Street and took an oath to remain committed to the cause, there was also a call for them to encourage fellow protesters to return as this was not the end of their efforts. The council leadership vowed that the movement would return to the square and find a way to occupy the park, 24/7/365 despite the U.S. Park Service’s ban on overnight camping on its property.
Below are some of the images,I personally took this evening.