As lawmakers returned to work in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, they were met with a familiar sight: “Occupy D.C.” protesters.
The movement took a break from its ongoing encampment and sent a cast of its characters to protest at the U.S. Capitol building.
Among the protesters were people like Daimian Bascom, who waved a Pan-African flag and called for “black nationalism.” In a shouted interview with The Daily Caller, Bascom exclaimed that he sought a “black nation for us to get the additional rights that we need, that we deserve when we was released under the Emancipation Proclamation.”
A man named Richard chose to wave the American flag — upside-down. “The last time I felt freedom in America was in the ’70s in the Vietnam War protests,” he explained. “Now we have to be careful because there’s police everywhere … I’m surprised that I haven’t been arrested yet for this sign, honest to God.”
Greg Wygant took a break from scaling trees around the Capitol building to explain to TheDC why “police brutality” serves the Occupy movement well. “I feel that the more police brutality that we have — not that I’m for it — but the more times that the police put violence on the people, it’s only going to outrage America more.
“And I feel, in my opinion,” Wyant continued, “that if Obama witnesses the chaos and the beatings from the cops on his lawn, I don’t think he’s gonna like it, and I don’t think the news is gonna like it. I don’t think the public’s gonna like it. I don’t think the teachers are gonna like it.
“I don’t think Obama’s mama is gonna like it.'”
At press time, no beatings were witnessed on Obama’s lawn and Obama’s mama was unavailable for comment.
Videography by Grae Stafford