I walked through McPherson Square yesterday where the protestors have set up camp in this little park for the last two months. I was struck by the number of DC police officers surrounding the perimeter. None in riot gear, just kind of hanging out, shooting the breeze with each other. I knew there could be trouble since the Park Police had given instructions for the protestors to dismantle a wooden, two story structure that had been built apparently for shelter in the winter months.

The Park Police have jurisdiction over the parks, and the city of DC wanted the structure taken down. I arrived before the protestors were removed from the structure with a cherry picker to lift them down. (We are nothing if not innovative...)

Although I was not there for the cherry picker scene, I did manage to take some pictures of the mostly peaceful camp. (The camp itself was allowed to remain.)

The sign welcomes you to Occupy K Street~ 

 Office buildings in the background~

 A walk through the narrow path of tents~

A large painting of Scott Olsen, the Marine who was among those injured by police at the Oakland protest.

This is as close as I could get to the structure the city wanted taken down. When I was there, only two people were sitting on top of it. The cherry picker hadn't arrived yet.

 This sign had fallen to the ground. I liked it because it invited people to "tell their story." One person simply wrote: I was born.

I came away with many impressions. Mostly I walked away hoping that violence would not be a part of my city's efforts for change.