Members of Occupy D.C. who were arrested last December when the protest group erected a barn-like structure in McPherson Square were found guilty today of failure to obey police orders—along with other charges for some—by a magistrate judge in D.C. Superior Court.
The morning of December 4, about two months into its residency at McPherson Square, Occupy D.C. moved the prefabricated structure into the downtown park. The barn's introduction set off a confrontation with U.S. Park Police that lasted into the evening until the last demonstrators were pulled off the barn's rafters by officers riding in a cherry-picker.
Of the 31 people arrested that day, 12 faced charges in court in a trial that began last Wednesday. Charges against one, Rooj Alwazir, were dropped after witnesses for the prosecution failed to sufficiently identify her in court.
A final defendant, David Givens, was also found guilty of indecent exposure for urinating off the roof of the barn. For that, Givens received a suspended jail sentence of 90 days pending the completion of 24 hours of community service and a fine of $150. He was also sentenced to one year of probation.
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