Protesters camped out in Freedom Plaza on Pennsylvania Avenue a few blocks from the White House have been offered a four-month extension of their permit that expired Monday afternoon, but the illegal shanty town that sprung up over the weekend could still lead to arrests. Leaders of the October 2011 anti-war and anti-corporate-greed demonstration met with U.S. Park Police officers Monday afternoon and brought the offer back to the group of about 200 people stationed in the plaza. The group approved the offer by a vote, although no decision was made about whether to pack up the dozens of tents and sleeping bags across the plaza, which is owned by the National Park Service.
“I think it’s an option that shows we have some political power right now because we’re getting some good press coverage for what we stand for and we’re behaving pretty well,” organizer Kevin Zeese told the crowd after his meeting with park police.
The extension, which would stretch through some of the city’s coldest months, would allow the makeshift booths for media, first aid, food and legal advice, but would not include camping. If some protesters choose to keep their tents up, that could lead to arrests. A spokesman for the U.S. Park Police did not return multiple calls for comment Monday.
The demonstrators would have to coordinate with several upcoming events that also include Freedom Plaza or the streets around it. Most immediately, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s annual fundraising walk is scheduled for this Saturday, and Zeese said the park service has already begun coordinating with those organizers.
The group began their demonstrations last Thursday when roughly 1,000 people peacefully marched to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Saturday took a violent turn when security guards at the National Air and Space Museum used pepper spray on a crowd pushing its way into the museum. However a conservative journalist later claimed to have instigated the push into the museum after guards initially told the group they could not bring in signs.
The group camped out on the plaza and offered dinner to the city’s homeless while the Taste of DC food festival occupied the surrounding streets without incident on Monday.
