The National Park Service was supposed to begin enforcing a long-standing camping ban in McPherson Square at noon Monday.
But two hours later, police have made no arrests -- and the atmosphere at the Occupy DC camp is more party than protest, with demonstrators chanting slogans and dancing to music under a giant "tent of dreams," a plastic tarp slung over the statue of Gen. James McPherson.
U.S. Park Police spokesman Sgt. David Schlosser told a cluster of reporters that enforcement of the camping ban is "ongoing" and that the Park Police's main goal is compliance. He wouldn't speculate on whether police would arrest protesters and wouldn't discuss their plan for the rest of the day
The camping ban prohibits Occupiers from sleeping, preparing to sleep or storing sleeping materials in the park. Tents are allowed to remain, the Park Service said last week, but only as symbols of the occupation, not as dwelling places.
McPherson protesters said they weren't planning on leaving the park, and while some have placed their belongings in an off-site storage space for safekeeping, others have purposely left bedding in their tents
At the District's second Occupy camp in Freedom Plaza, protesters were much more subdued. Most had already removed bedding from their tents, turning them into "worship centers," protesters said.
Trisha Carr, 35, an occupier at Freedom Plaza, said police came to the site around 10 a.m. and did a walk-through but didn't say much. She added that there won't be any issues if police show up again later.
"We're in compliance with everything," Carr said.
In McPherson, as the Park Police's deadline passed with no crackdown in sight, protesters relaxed under the "tent of dreams," played music and chatted with the media, who outnumbered the protesters.
"We've already won," said Occupy DC media organizer Sam Jewler. "If they come by and mess with us, we'll win even more."
