Occupy D.C.

Occupy DC march of October 9, 2011

Occupy D.C. is a non-partisan people's movement focused on spreading the ideas of Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Together in Washington, D.C.^[1] The group has been demonstrating in McPherson Square since October 1, 2011. Despite crackdowns on other Occupy protects across the country, federal authorities claimed on November 15 that they have no plans to clear McPherson Square Park. The National Park Service decided against eviction after meeting with activists and discussing health and safety conditions.^[2]

According to the Occupy D.C. official website, the movement's goals include "separating money from politics and improving the country’s infrastructure to fix healthcare, education, environment and the economy," thereby shifting power from the wealthiest 1% of Americans to the underrepresented 99%.^[1]

Timeline

A protestor from the October 20 flash mob at Union Station.

• October 1, 2011: Occupy D.C. rally starts in McPherson Square, at the corner of 15th & K Streets NW
• October 8, 2011: A group of 100 to 200 protestors affiliated with Occupy D.C. and Stop the Machine! attempted to enter the National Air and Space Museum at around 3pm, but were stopped by security guards for bringing signs into the museum. A security guard used pepper spray on at least one protester, and the crowd dispersed. ^[3] The museum was closed for the rest of the day following this incident.^[4] An American Spectator editor claimed to be an agent provocateur.^[5][6]
• October 16, 2011: Dr. Cornel West, activist and Princeton University professor, was arrested along with 18 other people while protesting on the Supreme Court steps.^[7]
• October 18, 2011: Harvard professor Lawrence Lessig visited McPherson Square to speak about government corruption and propose ideas on how to unite people to address it as a growing problem in the U.S.
• October 20, 2011: Occupy D.C. holds a protest at Union Station to protest against a Walmart event .^[8][9]
• October 29, 2011: Students from Howard University joined the Occupy D.C. protestors with the goal of bringing more racial diversity to the protest.^[10]
• November 4, 2011: Occupy D.C. held a protest at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center where political advocacy group Americans for Prosperity held their annual Defending the American Dream Summit, attended by conservative politicians and activists. Protestors blocked exits to the convention center and traffic at intersections around the center.^[11] Four protestors were struck by a vehicle while participating in the protest.^[12] According to protestors, the vehicle sped up before it deliberately hit the protestors in two separate incidents minutes apart. ^[13] According to police, the protestors jumped in front of the vehicle. ^[14] The driver of the vehicle was not cited by police because he had had a green light at the time.^[15] The police have opened an investigation into the incident. ^[16]A 78-year-old woman was knocked down while trying to get around an Occupy blockade, The Washington Examiner reported.^[17]
• November 19, 2011: Around 200 demonstrators entered or gathered around the city-owned Franklin School, a former homeless shelter and historical building on 13th and K streets. They were protesting plans by City officials to have the building privately developed, wanting it to remain public and possibly reopen as a homeless shelter. Louis P. Cannon, chief of D.C. Protective Services Police Department, stated that 13 people were arrested and charged with unlawful entry, a misdemeanor.^[18]

See also

Occupy Articles List of global Occupy protest locations Occupy movement Timeline of Occupy Wall Street We are the 99% Related articles Arab Spring Corruption Perceptions Index Economic inequality

Grassroots movement Income inequality in the United States Lobbying – the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies Plutocracy – rule by the wealthy, or power provided by wealth Protest Tea Party protests Wealth inequality in the United States List of protest marches on Washington, D.C. Previous Economic Protests Coxey's Army, 1894, 1914 Cox's Army, 1932 Bonus Army, 1932 Poor People's Campaign, 1968 Solidarity Day march, 1981 Washington A16, 2000

• Social movements portal
• Politics portal
• Business and economics portal
• Society portal
• Washington, D.C. portal
• United States portal

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "What is Occupy D.C.?". http://occupydc.org/about-us/. Retrieved 17 October 2011. 
2. ^ Tracy, Ryan (15 November 2011). "Occupy DC Allowed to Keep On Occupying D.C. Park". The Wall Street Journal. http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2011/11/15/occupy-dc-allowed-to-keep-on-occupying-d-c-park/. Retrieved 16 November 2011. 
3. ^ Emma Brown, Del Quentin Wilber (October 8, 2011). "Air and Space Museum closes after guards clash with protesters". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post_now/post/air-and-space-museum-closes-after-guards-clash-with-protesters/2011/10/08/gIQAx0x2VL_blog.html. 
4. ^ "DC museum closed after protest; pepper spray used". Boston Globe. 8 October 2011. http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2011/10/08/standoff_with_protesters_closes_washington_museum/. Retrieved 18 October 2011. 
5. ^ "American Spectator Editor Admits to Being Agent Provocateur at NASM". Weird Load Nation. October 9, 2011. http://weirdloadreboot.com/blog/2011/10/09/american-spectator-editor-admits-to-being-agent-provocateur-at-nasm-2/. Retrieved November 9, 2011. 
6. ^ Patrick Howley (October 8, 2011). "Standoff in D.C.". The American Spectator. http://spectator.org/blog/2011/10/08/standoff-in-dc. Retrieved November 8, 2011. 
7. ^ "Cornel West arrested at Supreme Court protest". CBS News. 16 October 2011. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/10/16/national/main20121158.shtml. Retrieved 19 October 2011. 
8. ^ "Occupy DC, other protesters demonstrate against Wal-Mart in Union Station". Washington Post. 20 October 2011. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post_now/post/occupy-dc-other-protesters-demonstrate-against-wal-mart-in-union-station/2011/10/20/gIQABXqi1L_blog.html. Retrieved 20 October 2011. 
9. ^ "Occupy DC swarms Union Station, releases balloons to protest event featuring Wal-Mart’s chairman". The Daily Caller. 20 October 2011. http://dailycaller.com/2011/10/20/occupy-dc-swarms-union-station-releases-balloons-to-protest-event-featuring-walmarts-chairman/. Retrieved 20 October 2011. 
10. ^ "Howard University Helping Occupy D.C.". NBC Washington. 28 October 2011. http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Howard-University-Helping-Occupy-DC-132783823.html. Retrieved 1 November 2011. 
11. ^ Hundreds of Occupy D.C. Protesters Block Conservatives From Leaving Summit, theblaze.com, November 5, 2011
12. ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dueling-versions-between-dc-police-protesters-at-convention-center/2011/11/05/gIQAHDTAqM_story.html
13. ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/occupy-dc-protesters-call-for-investigation-into-weekend-accident-say-4-people-not-3-hit/2011/11/07/gIQAm3CivM_story.html
14. ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dueling-versions-between-dc-police-protesters-at-convention-center/2011/11/05/gIQAHDTAqM_story.html
15. ^ Occupy D.C. protesters block streets near convention center, Washington Post, November 5, 2011
16. ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/police-to-adjust-tactics-for-dealing-with-occupy-dc-protesters-chief-says/2011/11/07/gIQAuh1JxM_story_1.html
17. ^ McCabe, Scott (November 7, 2011). "Occupy DC becoming increasingly violent, police say." Washington Examiner.
18. ^ Craig, Tim (19 November 2011). "Police arrest 13 as Occupy D.C. supporters take over Franklin School building". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/police-arrest-11-as-occupy-dc-supporters-take-over-franklin-school-building/2011/11/19/gIQAiZvycN_story.html. Retrieved 21 November 2011. 

External links