Dozens of U.S. Park Police descended on horseback and foot upon the Occupy D.C. camp in McPherson Square before dawn on Saturday to continue an enforcement of its U.S. Park Police Capt. Phil Beck said "We are not evicting people from the park, we are asking folks to come into compliance."
How about that! PC works on the left, too!
"It's pretty excessive if all they wanted us to do was take down the tarp," said a protester.
Besides, he added, they surprised us.
The U.S. Park Service announced a week ago that it would begin enforcing the longtime regulations that prohibit camping in federal parks. Protesters at both McPherson Square and Freedom Plaza were told they'd be arrested if they didn't remove all sleeping gear and other equipment.
Oh. So they can still occupy the park, just no sleeping. "Yeah, we're in a sleeping bag, Officer, but does it look like we're sleeping?"
Campers were told they couldn't sleep at the park, prompting some to go on "sleep strikes." But while some campers complied with the rules and left the McPherson encampment over the past week, others remained.
At least three protestors who refused to leave the area around the statue of Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson were arrested.