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| As Congress returns from its winter recess, protesters aligned with the Occupy Wall Street movement demonstrate on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday to decry the influence of corporate money in politics. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) |
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Washington.
Several hundred protesters affiliated with the Occupy Wall Street movement
converged on the West Lawn of the Capitol to decry the influence of corporate
money in politics and voice myriad other grievances.
Organizers
had touted Tuesday’s rally, known as Occupy Congress, as the largest national
gathering of Occupy protesters to date and secured a permit that would have
allowed up to 10,000 people to participate. By mid-afternoon, the protest
appeared to have fallen far short of those goals.
Still,
participants said they were optimistic about the strength of the Occupy
movement, which began in September when protesters pitched tents in a lower
Manhattan park. The movement has since spread to dozens of cities, including
Washington. While many cities have moved to evict the protesters, the National
Park Service has allowed encampments to remain in two public squares near the
White House.
“I’m
encouraged,” said Jon Wynn, 63, of Snow Camp, North Carolina, who traveled to
Washington to attend the protest and visit friends. “There’s energy here, even
if there’s not a whole lot of people.”
The protest
comes amid numerous polls that show 84 percent of Americans disapprove of the
job Congress is doing, near an all-time low.
While the
rally was mostly peaceful, there were some scuffles between police and
protesters along walkways leading to the Capitol. By mid-afternoon Tuesday,
four people had been arrested — US Capitol Police said — one for allegedly
assaulting a police officer and three accused of crossing a police line.
The Occupy
movement includes activists who want to change government from within and
anarchists who oppose all government. Tension between the two camps was evident
at Tuesday’s gathering, where some taunted police while others participated in
earnest group discussions about how to influence their elected representatives.
Anne
Filson, 71, a retired teacher from Madison, New Hampshire, said she was
disappointed by the turnout and said Occupy protesters needed to stick to their
core message of narrowing the gap between rich and poor. Protesters did not
help the cause by carrying profane signs and antagonizing police, she said.
“What I
regret about some of the Occupy movements is the dilution of the message,”
Filson said. “A lot of Occupy people have to realize that they’re being
counterproductive.”
Later
Tuesday, small groups of protesters entered House office buildings in a bid to
meet with individual members of Congress. Participants later in the evening
marched to the Supreme Court and the White House.
As hundreds
of Occupy protesters massed outside the gates of the White House, an apparent
smoke bomb was thrown over the fence Tuesday night, forcing authorities to
disperse the crowds. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama were
not in the White House when it happened — he was taking her out for a night on
the town to celebrate her 48th birthday.
There were
no arrests in the incident, said George Ogilvie, US Secret Service spokesman.
It was not
clear whether the out-of-town protesters would swell the ranks of the two
Occupy encampments in Washington. Late Tuesday, a House oversight subcommittee
announced that it would hold a hearing next week on why the protesters have
been allowed to remain in McPherson Square — which city officials say is
infested with rats — despite a ban on camping on park service property.
Protesters
Rachel Marcotte and Taft Clark, 23, planned to return to their tent at Occupy
New Haven in Connecticut, which has been compromised by snow.
“We’re told
that it’s still up, but it’s not looking good,” Clark said. “We have some work
to do when we get back.”
Associated Press
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Occupy DC
protesters had converged on the Capitol building
in Washington DC before some
marched on to the White House.
Photograph: Gary Cameron/Reuters
|
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