OCCUPY D.C. RAIDED, DEAD RATS, SANITATION
VIOLATIONS CITED AT PARK NEAR WHITE HOUSE

By Art Vinsel

There’s an old saying about the poor not having a chamber pot nor a window to to empty it, but U.S. Park Police saY they found many brimming containers–and dead rats–in Saturday’s dawn raid on Occupy D.C., almost next door to the White House.

A phalanx of 100 police, some in yellow haz-mat suits for handling contaminated waste on and cops on horseback, to keep order cleared the tent city dating to Oct. 1 at McPherson Park, a week after squatters were ordered to leave. The federal District of Columbia is unique in permitting vigils and demonstrations in and around such sites 24 hours a day, provided there is no camping or evidence of ”housekeeping,” cooking or habitation.,

Park Police Sgt. David Shlosser recalled a woman who stood a 30-year daily vigil across the street from the White House, but was perfectly within the law.

”This is not an eviction,” said Sgt. Schlosser, whose department supervises hundreds of protests and rallies and is dedicated to the letter of the law concerning the constitutional guarantee of First Amendment freedom of expression and assembly. He said Occupy D.C.had broken the law, as evidenced by bedding, cooking utensils and urine containers, indicating there was illegal habitation occurring. They can legally put up a tent, but do nothing in it, which sort of defeats the definition of camping, that which constitutes the violation.

Eleven persons were arrested for refusing to cooperate in the Park Police inspection of each tent and many were dismantled and confiscated along with urine-soaked bedding. Dead rats were also collected from the illegal site to be burned.

One policeman at the scene was injured ehen hit in the face by a thrown brick and treated and released from a hospital. Most demonstrators were peaceful and many had tents cleared of any evidence of occcupiers illegally occupying the site.

Protester Lacy MacAuley, 33, of Washington.D..C. pitched her tent one night in early October and then decided sleeping at home was preferable and lent it to a friend for the duration.

She came by Saturday and called out to police that she had better get her tent back undamaged.

”I don’t think they’re doing anything wrong here,” MacAuley said. ”They (police) should be checking these office buildings down there on K Street and the White House and Congress…it’s sad.,” she concluded.