By now, it’s a routine for Occupy DC: Spread sleeping bags on the sidewalk outside the Bank of America on Vermont and L. Fend off disgruntled security guards and harried passersby. Wake up, get arrested by D.C. police, post bail, return to the sidewalk.
Occupiers call it the “Sleepful Protest,” and it’s specifically targeting some of the nation’s biggest banks, which Occupiers blame for the foreclosure crisis.
Nearly two dozen protesters, barred from sleeping in McPherson Square in February, now spend their days a block away, camped out in front of Bank of America. Police arrested at least a dozen so far.
“It started as a necessity — after the raid we started sleeping on the sidewalks,” said Occupier James Hill. “One night, we said, ‘Why are we sleeping in front of an apartment when there’s a bank across the street?’ ”
Bank of America increased security outside the branch, said Lisa Steen, vice president of marketing for Akridge, the building’s owner. D.C. police patrol the area regularly, she said. A police spokeswoman said the city hasn’t spent any additional money policing the protests.
“We’re going back to where we started, getting face to face interaction,” said protester Sara Shaw, as she watched five others being packed into a police van one recent morning. “We haven’t had any hassles, and some customers have responded positively.”
While some passersby have expressed support, many said they’ve simply tried to avoid the protesters.
“It’s obnoxious on my way to work — they always want to stop to talk to you,” said Ursual Arno, who works near McPherson Square. “I feel like urban encampments are prone to be smelly and promote germs.”
Protester Harris Ntabakos remembers a bank security guard hissing that she couldn’t “wait to catch one of you when I don’t have my uniform on,” so far an idle threat.
D.C. law forbids anyone from “crowding, obstructing, or incommoding” the sidewalk, and District police typically give protesters three warnings each morning before making arrests, allowing many protesters to simply walk away and return later. But protesters said they still plan to contest their arrests and to remain at the bank indefinitely.
“If they’re going to take homes from people,” said Ntabakos, “we want bankers to look out the window and see what they’ve done.”
