Lawmakers returning from a three-week winter break were greeted Tuesday by hundreds of protesters from the “Occupy” movement, who gathered outside the US Capitol building to decry the corrupting influence of money in politics.
Protesters from the self-proclaimed Occupy Congress group — met by scores of uniformed police officers — were denied entry to congressional corridors and said they planned to spend the day on the grassy areas that surround the building.
As they chanted amid a steady winter drizzle, the protesters wielded signs urging lawmakers to “Come out of your ivory tower and hear the people.” Another told lawmakers that “We are here to be heard.” By late afternoon, four people had been arrested. Three were charged with illegally crossing police lines and the fourth with assaulting a police officer, a Capitol Police spokesman told AFP.
Speakers in front of the Capitol building included Kimberly Haas, an unemployed chemist from Hillsborough, New Jersey. She accused politicians of acting to protect their self-interest. Marsha, a lawyer, said people who work in the Capitol are “corrupt.” Jalen Matney of Orlando, Florida, called Barack Obama a huge “disappointment” who was motivated by money.
In addition to protesters from other cities, some of them have been camped since October in two downtown Washington parks called the “Occupy Washington” and “Occupy DC” sites. Washington’s Mayor Vincent Gray last week asked the National Park Service to evict protesters to eliminate rats and trash and allow restoration of the park at one site in MacPherson Square, near the White House. The Occupy movement took its cue from mass protests against budget cuts and unemployment in Europe.
The movement’s leaders say they also were inspired by democracy revolutions in North Africa. Since US cities began evicting protest campers in parks from New York to California, the movement has lost much of its momentum. Protests in Washington have remained stronger during what has been a mild winter.
The first Occupy encampment began four months ago in a park in New York City’s Wall Street financial district.
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