Report from McPherson Square, Day 4

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Report from McPherson Square, Day 4(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)Occupy D.C. entered its fourth day of protests Wednesday with new ideas, hopes and a developing plan for survival. Tuesday night 75 protestors -- chanting “Keep your billions out of our ballot boxes” and “banks got bailed out, we got sold out!” -- marched on the D.C. offices of Koch Industries to demonstrate their frustration with the billionaire owners Charles and Fred Koch's influence in American politics. The DC protests began in McPherson Park on Saturday night and occupiers have been sleeping on sidewalks in the park or in the doorways of area businesses since sleeping on the park benches or grass is illegal. During the day on Wednesday, the number of protestors appeared to be dwindling, with a barely visible presence during the morning and afternoon. Despite the low turnout, the group’s message has been covered widely in the press: ABC 7 reported live from the Koch protest, and NBC set up a camera in the park on Wednesday. The number of protestors rises to around 100 in the evenings, when the group schedules the next day’s actions. Wednesday night Occupy D.C. planned a march to the Newseum where Vice President Joe Biden and Dick Cheney were scheduled to speak. Today, they plan on joining other organizations in Freedom Plaza as part of the Stop the Madness protest, which over 1,000 people are expected to attend. The success of the Occupy D.C. movement will hinge on whether they can attract more supporters in the coming days. Otherwise this group may fizzle quickly. Protestors in Wall Street received a significant boost when they were joined by a number of New York City unions on Wednesday. Hopes of similar support are palpable in McPherson Square.
- report/photo by AJ Metcalf

 

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