The occupation of the capitol has ended...or is supposed to end. Since Feb 16th, the protesters have maintained a continuous presence at the capitol. They had a day care, first aid station, drum circle, yoga classes, and established a community. On Sunday, it was scheduled to end at 4 p.m.
The pretense for the removal was to clean the capitol. While the protesters cleaned up after themselves and mopped he floors on their own accord, it was still dirty and possessed a lovely aroma. While this needed to be done, it was clear that they wanted to remove the protesters from the capitol and restore normalcy.
Working alongside the marshals, we sought to encourage a peaceful and orderly exit. Not everyone was going to leave and we knew it. We established an area for those who were willing to risk arrest to gather. We encouraged this to maintain order and to maintain solidarity. The number of people who decide to stay was around 600 protesters. They were all willing to risk being arrested. However, speaking to several police officers, it was clear that most had no intention of arresting anyone and it was clear that more than a few would have disobeyed an order to arrest the protesters or forcibly remove them. As the situation became tense and the protesters were separated between those who stayed and those who left, I noticed an officer sitting on the bench. Watching him, I noticed that he was wiping tears off his eyes. He was moved to tears by the situation. While they may not support the cause that the people were fighting for, they had nothing against them and appreciated their behavior non-violence.
As we were moving people out the situation became tense. Only one entrance was opened for people to exit. At one of the main set of doors that was locked, people gathered on the other side demanding to be allowed in. Protesters gathered on the inside and began chanting "let them in!" However, they eventually marched off to another part of the capitol. At the only exit so many people gathered outside that the police feared that they would attempt to rush the people. This caused many people who wanted to leave to be trapped in as the police tried to figure out how to get people out. Eventually, everyone who wanted to exit were able to get out.
Initially, the plan was to remove or arrest anyone who did not voluntarily leave. However, after negotiation with the police, the protesters agreed to move to one floor so that the rest of the building could be cleaned. Nearly all of the occupants agreed, except for several dozen people who stayed on the ground floor. I'm not sure why they refused to move. But they gathered on the floor refusing to move. People on the floor above shouted at them to join them and "strength in numbers." They were informed that if they did not move to the designated floor that they would be arrested. Only a handful of them moved. They were willing to risk arrested than move from their spot.
By 9 p.m. Sunday night, it was confirmed that the police were not going to remove any of the protesters or arrest them. No one had been arrested. They worked with them to bring them food and make sure they stayed out of the way of the cleaners. The police seem to be walking a tight rope between doing their job, and allowing the protesters a safe atmosphere to exercise their first amendment right to the extent they have bended and ignored rules. While the occupation of the Capitol was initially scheduled to end today, it appears that it will survive to another day.
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