At this moment, two liberal protests are going on simultaneously in D.C. One (Occupy DC) is at McPherson Square, two blocks from the White House, and another (October 2011) is at Freedom Plaza, two blocks in a different direction from the White House.

I just checked out Freedom Plaza. Aside from some old dude in a drum circle swinging his bike helmet at me, screaming “F- You!” at me, and shouting “no pictures,” I found this a pleasant crowd. I arrived partway through a laborious democratic process whereby a chairman considered proposals, facilitated debate, and eventually held a vote over where the protestors should spend the night. The problem is that it’s apparently illegal to sleep in the park. The group settled on sleeping in the park or in front of banks.