DNC Occupy and protest pics (dial-up warning; will update as new pics come in)

[Chathamization]

14. I had a similar experience

Our rally for DC autonomy, which ended up being very pro-DC statehood thanks to our efforts to pressure our delegation, ended up having almost no audience because of the protests. Our Mayor (Vincent Gray) and our delegate to congress (Eleanor Homes-Norton) ended up missing the event completely, along with a large number of supporters.

I also saw no presence of any Occupy group inside the convention. The police were keeping out large marches, but any individuals could go into the convention center, talk with the delegates and pass out fliers. We did (and got a lot of positive responses), but the only other groups I saw there were J-Street and Move to Amend. Keep in mind that the convention is probably one of the best times to network with people politically, since important individuals in the Democratic party, many of whom (in my experience) are much further to the left than the leadership, are coming from all over the country to meet and network.

There were even the pro-life people outside with big posters and bullhorns. They ended up having more of a presence than Occupy. Like you said, the protests were out of the site of delegates, lacked information, and were much more likely to annoy people than to persuade them.