* * *
To those watching events unfold from the safety of their homes and offices, the news media provided a clear analysis of what was happening and where. Across America, there were similar protests in various cities, the largest – other than Washington – in New York, with a crowd of around a hundred thousand gathering in Central Park and spilling out to surround Mount Sinai Hospital. The President remained marooned inside, the police attempting to clear a safe route out of Manhattan; relatively peaceful at first, the crowd was becoming more volatile with the number of arrests surging past a hundred.
Yet it was clear it would be D.C. which would decide Cavanagh’s fate. Although a small crowd sat it out in the Ellipse south of the White House, the main target for dissent became the Capitol, and the complex was now surrounded by a sea of protestors. The Capitol’s own police officers ensured the building remained secure, and officials and staff and were able to leave and enter without difficulty. Not so the FBI, agents turned back by the D.C. police.
Thorn’s associates and marshals moved from one group to another handing out more leaflets, trying to keep the mood positive. By some devious means, hot-dog carts started to make an appearance, the Park Police relaxing the rules to follow the lead shown by their D.C. colleagues. As the afternoon wore on, the number of demonstrators gradually decreased, with just a hard-core several thousand strong preparing to stay overnight, tents being set up for the long haul.
A burst of jeering announced the arrival of Marine One, the President having finally escaped the claustrophobia of New York. Then it was back to the status quo: the police, FBI, protestors, and even Thorn – everyone seemed to be merely biding their time, waiting for the President and Congress to decide their next move.
The Trust Of The People Page 54
