“They were like storm troopers. They encircled us,” said protester Cheryl Aichele, who was sitting in the middle of the south lawn in a circle with other protesters when police first entered the camp.
The protesters largely kept to their promise of confronting the police peacefully. While some taunted police verbally and a few rocks were thrown, most protesters either left on their own or nonviolently submitted to arrest, with many going limp and forcing the police to carry them out…
The moment spoke to the generally light tone of the eviction. Moments before police entered the park, protesters were setting off fireworks. After they entered, a man who refused to leave told an officer: “If you give me a hug, I will leave right now.”
“Are you serious?” the officer asked with a smile. He appeared for a moment ready to comply, but then moved away.
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