Representatives question enforcement of camping regulations at Occupy DC
Click on photo to enlarge or download: Members of the House of Representatives held a subcommittee meeting Tuesday debating the legality of alleged camping by Occupy DC protesters in McPherson Square. SHFWire Photo by Jordain CarneyWASHINGTON - Some members of Congress debated Tuesday if camping regulations are being enforced at Occupy DC protests in McPherson Square. 
“The city of Washington, D.C., is at a breaking point, and I'm just really curious why people above you don't let you enforce the law," Rep. Joe Walsh, R-Ill., said at a Health Care and D.C., Census and the National Archives subcommittee meeting.
Protesting regulations prohibit camping, sleeping, preparing to sleep and permanent structures.
Jonathan Jarvis, the National Park Service director, said the National Park Service and the Metropolitan Police had been taking an incremental approach with citations against the Occupy protesters, and he believed they had taken the right approach since the beginning.
Jarvis said the Occupy protesters at McPherson Square qualified as a 24-hour vigil with temporary structures, and that is why they have been allowed to stay in McPherson Square since October.
Officials believed that camping had taken place at McPherson Square, but no citations had been given, Jarvis said.
A camping violation would be an individual violation, and not against the Occupy group.
D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray sent Jarvis a letter saying that at the very least Occupy demonstrators should be consolidated to Freedom Plaza to help with the rat infestation at McPherson Square, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform committee, said.
Some of the representatives and speakers had health concerns about the McPherson Square protests.
Mohammad Akhter, D.C. Department of Health director, said there are homeless people in the mix who may have infectious diseases and that creates an environment that isn’t healthy. In the past week the National Park Service and the D.C. Department of Health held a joint health inspection at McPherson Square.
During the first week of the Occupy movement, there were about 150 people at Freedom Plaza and 250 people at McPherson Square. There are now about 30-50 people at both locations, Paul Quander Jr., deputy mayor for public safety and justice, said.
Quander said that since the first week of Occupy DC, police have been able to decrease their presence except during four events – the Americans for Prosperity summit, the march on Key Bridge, the K Street protests and the Occupy Congress march.
"You are in fact turning a blind eye to four months of law breaking,” Issa said.
Jarvis said officials had discretion to focus on the most serious offenses, and they had focused on crimes against people. They are planning to give the Occupy protesters another warning about camping, and would begin giving citations soon.
No one from the Occupy group was invited to speak at the meeting, and Issa said the hearing was to discuss what to do with the next potential group of protesters and not those at McPherson Square or Freedom Plaza.
Other members of the subcommittee voiced their frustrations about the hearings.
“I wish we had as much concern about the people that have lost their houses," Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., said. “I guess people who are protesting and are part of Occupy look at a hearing like this and say, ‘this is why we’re protesting.’”
Reach reporter Jordain Carney at carneyj@shns.com or 202-326-9861. SHFWire stories are free to any news organization that gives the reporter a byline and credits the SHFWire.
