Occupy DC Clashes with Police Over Structure, 31 Arrested

A day-long standoff between Occupy DC protesters and Washington, DC Park Police began with something uniquely non-DC: a barn-raising.

Late Saturday night, protesters at the encampment erected a wooden structure intended to provide wintertime shelter for members of the camp, house general assemblies, and make a political statement about homelessness.

The structure was designed and donated by a father-son architect team and cost around $1,400, according to a reporter on Occupy DC’s live video stream. Made of six pieces, it was designed to be both sustainable (with a heating system made of water bottles in the roof) and temporary (able to be assembled and disassembled in about an hour).

Not temporary enough, though, for DC’s Park Police, who ordered protesters to take the structure down early Sunday morning. In response, a number of protesters stood their ground inside and on the roof of the structure in the face of arrest threats.

Once the standoff began, it was essentially a waiting game until all involved were arrested—31 in total. The last protester was taken into custody around 9 p.m Sunday after relieving himself from the roof, earning both cheers and extra charges for indecent exposure and public urination.

The protesters inside the structure were the first to go. The six who stayed on the roof required a little more effort, and equipment—a huge armored SWAT car, a cherry-picker, and a giant inflatable rescue cushion.

“They’re bringing out the First Amendment Moonbounce!” shouted one protester from the roof.

“Has anyone seen my car? It’s got a big platform on top,” called another, clearly referencing the SWAT van. A nearby police officer cracked a smile at the joke.

Police seemed less amused when one protester came down from the roof, only to do a jig on the SWAT car and climb back up.

The jokes came after a tense afternoon earlier in the day.

One protester had been arrested after yelling at police officers, claiming their horses put onlookers in danger; members of the media had been banished from their original position to one with a worse view, which occupiers protested vocally; and occupiers had covered their faces with scarves and masks in anticipation of pepper spray, which wasn’t used.

The lack of police force was notable in the wake of more violent clashes across the country.

Protesters might count themselves lucky that police didn’t respond more forcefully to people throwing food and wet T-shirts (for face protection) up to the roof-sitters, but Occupy DC has had a generally peaceful relationship with the police thus far. The nation’s capital is a frequent staging ground for First Amendment activity, so police are likely used to this sort of thing.

Bizarrely, police took apart the camp’s art tent, which was located near the structure, but said there were no plans to dismantle the rest of the camp.

Still, it’s unclear what impact—if any—this action will have on the camp’s relationship with police and the community. Was the ultimate demolition of the structure, which could have been safely taken down by the protesters, worth it? Will the standoff put the camp on the police’s radar for demolition? Will it galvanize public support?

“This is what community looks like!” protesters chanted frequently at police during the standoff.

For Occupy DC, this seemed to be the theme of the day’s events: a shelter built, and defended, by and for the community.

Emily Crockett is a staff writer with Campus Progress. Follow her on Twitter @emilycrockett.

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