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| 'Occupy Washington, D.C.' tents set up in Lafayette Square, with the Capitol building in the background. (Image/Dick Bergeron) |
On the way to our first visit to the Martin Luther
King Memorial in Washington, D.C., we came upon an unexpected surprise: As we crossed Pennsylvania Avenue from the
J.W. Marriott Hotel, Pris and I noticed a tight grouping of weatherproof tents
on the concrete slab of Lafayette Park.
The sign outside one of these shelters read “Welcome to Washington, D.C.,” and the marking on the largest one read “First Aid.” It was, to my surprise the peaceful encampment of an “Occupy Washington” contingent.
However, unlike what’s been happening in Manhattan with “Occupy Wall Street,” the Washington version seemed to be a model of civility. Indeed, I couldn’t determine whether or not there was anyone occupying any of the tents! Nor did I see any protesters on the pavilion.
