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Title: Hours-long standoff ends in multiple arrests at Occupy DC
Source:
WTOP
URL Source: http://www.wtop.com/?nid=109&sid=2656756
Published: Dec 4, 2011
Author: Max Smith, Thomas Warren
Post Date: 2011-12-04 20:44:28 by Excalibur
Keywords: None
Views: 172
WASHINGTON - Police brought in an airbag, an armored truck and a cherry picker to arrest protesters at the McPherson Square Occupy D.C. camp following a nine-hour standoff over a wood structure. Protesters refused to leave -- or dismantle -- a wood structure they built Saturday night. Late Sunday evening, police used the cherry picker to force down the remaining protesters who had taken up positions on the roof. The last man, named David, was taken down after a struggle with police, shortly after 8:30 p.m. Police arrested at least 30 people over the course of the day, after the deadline passed for protesters to take down the barn-like structure. During the hours-long standoff, an inspector posted a notice on the structure, which Park Police say is in violation of park rules. D.C. police SWAT officers arrived Sunday afternoon to help Park Police remove the occupiers who had taken up camp on or inside the wooden structure. Police told protesters Sunday morning they needed a permit for the wood structure that resembles a partially built shed or barn and gave them an hour to disassemble it. The group was given a deadline of 11:45 a.m. to take down the structure. When the protesters failed to comply, officers on horseback moved in. The encampment's general assembly was split between complying with police orders and standing their ground. At one point, Park police officers pulled out a Taser as they arrested 21-year-old homeless veteran, Micheal Patterson from Alaska. Patterson was slammed to the ground and arrested. The protesters built the "structure-like tent" in about four hours Saturday night. Some of them were calling it a "barn raising." Several occupiers said the group spent $1,400 on the wood. The structure was designed by an architect and built with help of donated time from someone from Annapolis. Camping and cooking are prohibited in the park, though protesters have been doing both openly in front of police since they started occupying the park. The structure originally had blue tarps on the top, but they were pulled off by the protesters shortly before the police arrived. Occupiers had been throwing food and provisions to protesters who have taken up a stance inside the structure. Police have shut down streets in the area surrounding McPherson Square and are recommending motorists avoid the area. Half the park had been sealed off by police. WTOP's Thomas Warren is reporting at McPherson Square. Earlier, WTOP's Max Smith was tweeting live. Follow their tweets for the latest news
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