Threats

US Park Police walk through McPherson Square at 11:30am on January 30th surrounded by occupiers and media, The three days prior, National Park Service personnel had distributed flyers stating that the park service would begin to enforce camping regulations on or around noon. These police passed through the park without confrontation.

Occupiers evacuate all unnecessary personal belongs from McPherson Square in anticipation of a possible police raid.

Occupiers painted signs and slogans on their tents to increase the likelihood that they will be protected under the 1st amendment of the US constitution.

Occupiers at McPherson Square erect their "Tent of Dreams" over the statue of General McPherson in protest of the police threats of action.

Occupiers at McPherson Square erect their "Tent of Dreams" over the statue of General McPherson in protest of the police threats of action.

Occupiers tie down the tarp making up their "Tent of Dreams" over top of the statue of General McPherson at McPherson Square.

Videographers cover occupiers erecting their "Tent of Dreams" over the statue of General McPherson in protest of the police threats of action.

Occupiers watch a video of "Lash" (second from right) being tazed and arrested by police the day prior. Lash had a seizure and was taken to the hospital by the police. The video, posted by "Jake" (second from left) has received over 150,000 views in under two days.

Protestors heckle and surround a Fox News van which had parked illegally on K St, blocking a fire hydrant. The van received a ticket and was moved.

Occupiers sit in a plastic bubble underneath their "Tent of Dreams"

Occupiers gather under the "Tent of Dreams" and wait for the police. They never came.

The Alfalfa Club

Occupy DC took to action as the Alfalfa Club met for their yearly dinner at the Capitol Hilton in DC, only two blocks away from McPherson. Occupiers have described the club as a "meeting of the super wealthy", "the 1% of the 1%". President Obama spoke to the group, which doesnt surprise me during an election year three blocks from his house. Police shut down about 3 square blocks of NW DC for the event.

It was mic-checked that the police were under strict orders to not make any arrests while the dinner was going on to keep the event out of the news. I personally observed no instances of real police brutality, though while I was photographing I was shoved off the trunk of a car by another protestor as he scrambled away from an officer. No mace was used either, but my friend Jerry, another embedded photojournalist, received a few bruised/cracked ribs when DC Metro corralled people off of the street. My elbow hit the ground pretty hard, as did my camera, but both are fine (I <3 Nikon: haters gonna hate).

Im still picking the glitterbombs out of my clothing.

Images:

Police barricade K St. NW with fences and salt/snowplow trucks directly across from McPherson Square, prior to the Alfalfa Club meeting at the Capitol Hilton a block away. President Obama spoke at the gather of the super-wealthy,

Lawyer Jeff Light briefs protestors on what may happen to them if they are arrested during actions against the Alfalfa Club.

'Captian' joins the sit-down blockade on K St. NW in attempts to block members of the Alfalfa Club from entering.

A member of the Alfalfa Club wears a gold medallion with "Alfalfa Club" inscribed in it.

A livestreamer broadcasts as a member of the Alfalfa Club is glitterbombed by protestors on K St. NW.

Senator Joe Lieberman (D-CT) works past protestors to cross a police line on K St NW to join the Alfalfa Club dinner, a meeting for the highly influential.

Protestors grab handfuls of glitter to throw indiscriminately at those attempting to cross the police line on K St NW to join the Alfalfa Club dinner.

A protestor shows her glitterbomb.

'Lucas' sits down on K St. NW amid shirtless protestors. A call of "out of the clothes and into the streets" was chanted as the group marched from blockade to blockade.

'Moe' prepares paint for screenprinting an occupation logo onto clothing in the middle of K St. NW.

A protestor has her shirt screenprinted with an occupation logo as others dance in a mosh pit behind her on K St NW

DC Metro Officers maintain a police line as a group of 15 protestors attempt to rush through it.

A protestor pets a police horse at the police line at 16th & M NW outside of the 99th annual Alfalfa Club dinner.

A group of protestors rush a DC Metro police line at 16th and M NW outside of the 99th annual Alfalfa Club meeting.

A mounted officer at 16th and M NW.

DC Metro officers push protestors off of 16th St NW to clear a path for attendees of the 99th annual Alfalfa Club to leave through.

Fuel, a pizzeria right next to a police line on K St NW, served as neutral ground for police and protestors. "Everybody loves pizza - it would be like fighting in church", one protestor commented. "Out there, its just a job" commented a DC Metro sergeant.

A protestor helps police disassemble the police barrier on K St NW after the 99th Annual Alfalfa Club dinner at the Capitol Hilton a block away.

A few days

Donations from Zion Church, of Largo MD, arrive and are distributed to people at McPherson Square.

'Scout" holds a protest sign in front of 'Camp Anonymous' as National Park Service personel post notices of rule enforcement around McPherson Square.

National Park Service personnel post notices of rule enforcement in McPherson Square stating that new methods of enforcement will be used beginning January 30th, two days from posting.

L'enfant plaza

I took a guided tour of the Capitol building - lots of pretty ceilings in there. I was however FAR more impressed by the Library of Congress, in which I got lost at least 6 times just trying to find the registration desk. It is a massive index of information - everything else around it are just fancy office buildings.

Police at McPherson 1/27

'Jake' photographs US park police arresting a man.

The US Park Police have started to show some muscle in their interactions with the occupation of McPherson Square. Whistles roused occupants from their tents last night at 3AM to about 10 park police patrolling the square looking for unlawful violations.

I scrambled out of my tent barefoot, not enough time to put on my big boots, to police ordering everyone onto the paved paths so that they can check tents. I heard one officer say something to the effect of "arrest the first person that gives us trouble". Within a minute this man (who asked to remain anonymous) jumped off of the pavement onto the dirt, and 4 cops were on him.

Of personal note, this man in a Park Police uniform repeatedly ignored clear requests for his badge number, and repeatedly shone his flashlight into my lens in attempts to censor what was going on. He had no badge, and after requests for his badge number failed I got the impression that he was not a police officer; either a trainee or support from some other agency.

Either way, tension at the occupation of McPherson Square is beginning to be palpable.

The past few days...

Got a chance to do laundry! Unfortunately, one of my sweaters shrunk two sizes. Anyways:

"Camp Anonymous" is viewed by some of its members as the only 'commons' space in McPherson Square where Occupiers can congregate and hang out.

Mounted park police stand in front of Freedom Plaza with the Capitol dome in the background.

The kitchen at Freedom Plaza, the second occupation site in Washington DC, recently recieved a 100% on its inspection by the health department

Protesters gather in Columbia Heights against Wells Fargo and the privatization of the prison industry.

A sign along Pennsylvania Ave asks for donations outside of Freedom Plaza.

Occupiers mic check the "State of the Occupation" outside of the White house while President Obama reads his State of the Union address at the Capitol.

Livestreamers broadcast the "State of the Occupation" address outside of the White House

Secret Service officers begin to clear Lafayette Park of occupiers reading their "State of the Occupation" address. A ranking officer stated that the park was being cleared "because I said so".

Occupiers prepare the daily schedule on the 117th day of occupation.

"Daisy" has been an occupier since the first week.

Occupiers shake hands after a game of chess at McPherson Square.

"Huckleberry" plays a harmonica in McPherson Square.

Occupiers jam in Freedom Plaza before a march to McPherson and then the Capitol building

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There have been a few cats that have been adopted by occupiers in McPherson square, who take in the felines and try to find them a better home.

An occupier scales a statue at the corner of 14th and Vermont NW to place a sticker at the top.

An occupier defaces a sign on Vermont ave with a sticker saying "Occupy Everywhere".