Occupy General Assembly at Washington Monument

Police helicopter shines its spotlight on the General Assembly.

Protesters gathered near the Washington Monument for General Assembly (GA) the evening prior to  Occupy Congress.

From the monument you could count four helicopters hovering over the city below. President Obama had been moving around town.  One helicopter approached the monument every ten minutes only to back off before it got really close.  After the passing of the motorcade along 17th Street adjacent to the World War II memorial below, only this helicopter remained in the sky.  Suddenly it flew over the protesters and shone its spotlight directly on the gathering.  Protesters turned to face the light.

The banner proclaims the right of protesters to hold their meeting.   

General Assembly at the Washington Monument.

The White House (not visible) is to the far right.  The GA was streamed on live video to the world.