BOSTON—Four giant, decorative pumpkins occupied a small park in Boston on Saturday, but no protesters. Not after dozens were arrested there four days earlier trying to expand a growing tent city.
In Denver, police in riot gear cleared the last cluster of protesters Friday at the state Capitol. But in Chicago, officers reportedly brought coffee and doughnuts during the protest’s early days.
Around the country, police have chosen different times and different ways to step in, as growing numbers of activists have taken over public spaces in recent weeks to demand change in Washington and on Wall Street. In some cities, there have been dozens of arrests. In others, none.
Police say they’re trying to respect the activists’ rights. But they say there are things they won’t tolerate as the protests evolve.
“We don’t know what to anticipate,” said San Francisco police Sgt. Mike Andraychak. “We’ll be there to facilitate as long as they are peaceful.”
Many protesters report good relations with police, even in Boston where they also complained of brutal treatment during the arrests, though police said officers acted appropriately, even after some were spit on.
“We’re not mobilizing to fight police,” said David Goodner, a spokesman for Occupy Iowa. “We’re here to take on Wall Street and the big corporations that have stolen our democracy.”
One reason for the relatively good relations? Protesters count police among the so-called “99 percent” of Americans their movement represents against what they see as an unfair concentration of wealth and power in the remaining 1 percent. Several pro-police chants even broke out, such as “Police need a raise!”, as 32 protesters were being arrested last Sunday in Des Moines, Iowa.
Some protesters say police have even been supportive.
“I cannot tell you how many times someone in a police cruiser or in a fire truck honks when I’m holding up a sign that says, ‘Honk if you’re underpaid’,” said Rhadona Stark, 33, of Albuquerque, N.M., who has been participating in the Occupy Albuquerque protests for days at the University of New Mexico. “They even come by and ask if we need anything.”
What protesters need varies by city, and that’s influenced the police response.
In Hartford, Conn., protesters have asked for little, and agreed not to sleep overnight downtown. Their activities are focused largely on regular “general assemblies,” which have been long on the airing of grievances, but short on civil disobedience.
Protesters outside the U.S. Federal Bank building in Chicago are obeying a city ordinance banning the group from sleeping overnight on sidewalks by rotating volunteers, and there haven’t been any arrests.
Philadelphia police also haven’t made any arrests, even as many as 1,000 protesters have rallied there since Oct. 6, some living in more than 100 tents at City Hall. Open communication with protest leaders, and civil affairs officers in street clothes—but identified by armbands—have helped avoid problems, said Lt. Ray Evers, a spokesman for the Philadelphia Police Department.
It’s been a different scene in Seattle, where police cleared a park of tents, arrested a few dozen people and warned protesters, via bullhorn, not to try to camp out. In New York on Friday, demonstrators called police “Pigs!” then trailed them with cameras. This month, New York police arrested 700 people on the Brooklyn Bridge after warning them not to try to cross and also pepper-sprayed protesters.
Joseph Foley, a 21-year-old protester at Occupy Boston, admits he’s concerned what could happen if police don’t give the movement the space it needs to grow.
“That’s something I worry about every day, actually,” Foley said.
In Minneapolis, a clash with police may be brewing. Protest leaders are planning to set up camp Saturday in the outdoor plaza of the county government center after seven nights of sleeping in sleeping bags on tarps or pads.
“It’s Minnesota. People need to stay warm,” said Tony Boicourt, a demonstration organizer.
Devon Pendleton, 21, a part of Occupy Boston, said some in his group are pushing for more aggressive defiance of police, particularly after the mass arrests in Boston left many angry and frustrated. He added, “They get drowned out by those who are here to keep the message clear and shining bright.”
Still, the movement is growing, needs space and may eventually have to claim it, whether police are on board or not, Pendleton said.
Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis said he and many of his officers are sympathetic to many things Occupy Boston stands for, and convinced most of the group is reasonable. But that doesn’t mean they can march or camp anywhere they please.
“We’re not at odds philosophically with this group,” Davis said. “This is about public safety and logistics. Everybody has a right to protest, but we also need to keep the city safe and open for everybody.”
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Associated Press writers Stephanie Reitz in Hartford, Conn.; Patrick Walters and JoAnn Loviglio in Philadelphia; Steven K. Paulson in Denver; Patrick Condon in Minneapolis; Michael J. Crumb in Des Moines, Iowa; Terry Collins in San Francisco; Russell Contreras in Albuquerque, N.M.; Manuel Valdes in Seattle and Barbara Rodriguez in Chicago contributed to this report.
