Screams of anger, panic, and pain began to cut through the grey air, and I managed to get back into the crowd a bit, away from the police. In the midst of the pressed and screaming crowd I saw two occupiers, Mo and Georgia, find each other, and hug. They stayed there, oblivious to the cacophony around them, both their eyes glassy and vacant and a little too wide open.
February 11, 2012

[Warning: Strong language, may not be suitable for work.]

Wired's Quinn Norton's first-person account of the police raid and eviction of Occupy DC is enthralling and frightening. The Park Police's assault on the camp was a dramatic change from the good relations the camp had enjoyed with local law enforcement. The occupiers, after being led to believe for days that they were not to be evicted, no doubt felt the sting of those lies much like a slap in the face.

Screams of anger, panic, and pain began to cut through the grey air, and I managed to get back into the crowd a bit, away from the police. In the midst of the pressed and screaming crowd I saw two occupiers, Mo and Georgia, find each other, and hug. They stayed there, oblivious to the cacophony around them, both their eyes glassy and vacant and a little too wide open.

I grabbed a woman I recognized from the info tent and pointed to them. “Get them out of here,” I told her. She just looked at me for a moment in the chaos, and I repeated, “Get them the f-ck out of here.” She nodded and grabbed them, still hugging. I spun around, and the riot line was on me. Pushed from every direction, I tripped over something behind me which turned out to be a person on the ground. The officer in front of me screamed “Move back!” but other people were falling on the fallen, and there was no way to move back without trampling them, and no way to stay without being trampled.

Do read the entire article, here, as it's really a fascinating look at some interesting members of the group, as well as the group as a whole.

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