The upcoming Occupy Congress protest is shaping up to be one of the largest demonstrations Occupy DC has produced, but that doesn’t mean protesters are planning to play by the rules.
District and federal authorities have asked Occupy Congress organizers to file applications for four separate permits for the Jan. 17 event, which participants say could draw thousands to the District to protest money in politics on the day Congress returns to work.
Participants say they will only ask for two permits: One, already granted, allows protesters to converge outside the Capitol building, and another establishes a drop-off site for busloads of Occupiers.
They don’t plan to obtain a permit to march in the streets or to gather in McPherson Square, where Occupiers have camped without a permit for more than three months.
“When we do march in the street, our intent is largely civil disobedience. People will be arrested, and a permit doesn’t really help,” said Occupy Congress participant Mario Lozada, who added that the protest will be “completely nonviolent and peaceful.”
Occupiers in D.C. are bracing for the arrival of up to 2,000 additional protesters for the event. That would put the population in McPherson Square well above the 500-person limit set by the National Park Service, but most Occupiers said they weren’t worried about the influx of protesters. Unlike their counterparts in Freedom Plaza, who recently obtained a permit to protest in the park through February, McPherson Occupiers have insisted they don’t need a permit to occupy the square.
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U.S. Park Police are adopting a wait-and-see attitude toward the protest. Spokesman Sgt. David Schlosser said police would address the situation as it unfolds.
“I don’t think there will be more than 500 people in the park,” said McPherson Occupier Sam Jewler, a media organizer for the movement. “There will be people staying at Freedom Plaza as well, so the burden’s not entirely on McPherson.”
Lozada, though, said Occupy is reaching out to local churches and Freedom Plaza protesters to house some of protesters.
