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Sunday, January 29, 2012

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.

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