breaking news from dc WB & IMF protests

8:22am: The situation at K and Vermont seems to have settled.

8:11am: The smoke bomb is not tear gas. No press, other than indymedia, have been arrested.

8:08am: Another smoke bomb possibly tear gas released at Vermont and K. There are police infiltrators in the crowd trying to provoke violence. Police are no longer allowing anyone 2 leave and are loading everyone left--including various media--onto busses.

8:02am: The police have let 20+ people who have their hands raised leave without being arrested.

7:58am: Police are pushing people against the citibank and arresting nearly everyone at K and Vermont.

7:56am: Traffic is really light downtown, esp. near Federal Triangle. It appears to be a federal holiday. Cops are just standing around guarding a Starbucks.

7:54am: There has been at least one injury at K and Vermont.

7:52am: Police have shoved into the back of the protesters. People in the front are sitting down and locking arms. The police are beginning a mass arrest. Another indymedia reporter has been beaten by police and arrested.

7:50am: A police officer just assaulted another person. More vans are arriving. AP, CNN, etc. are not allowed to leave the space, although they are requesting to leave.

7:47am: MPD are arresting an indymedia reporter right now. They are moving in to arrest more people.

7:44am: A citibank window has been smashed on that corner. The police are using violence against everyone. Cop is beating a protester and an indymedia reporter. They have taken parts of an indymedia reporters camera and have broken it. They are violating principles of riot control and planning a mass arrest. Two ranks of cops are surrounding the protesters and pushing them into a smaller group. The activists can not move. 100-200 people are in a space no larger than 50 feet.

7:41am: K and L Sts on Vermont. The police have thrown mainstream and indymedia reporters into the crowd and have beaten many people (including the press) with batons. They are not letting anyone through.

7:40am: The smoke bomb is in fact low grade tear gas. The police have brought in vans and are planning to arrest over 100 people at K and Vermont.

7:38am: The police have blocked the activists completely in. They are not allowing the media to leave. The police are attacking the black bloc at K and Vermont. Some sort of smoke device has been released.

7:35am: The march has left Franklin Square. The march has been stopped by a MPD motorcycle cops between M and L on Vermont. The MPD is attempting to stop the march by boxing everyone in. There are between 600-1000 people.

7:28am: People have come out of the woods on the GW Parkway on the Virginia side. They have thrown across the road and are planning to light them on fire. This would create a semi-permanent blockade.

Police out in force

By 6 a.m. police had surrounded the World Bank and IMF buildings.

7 a.m. Oval and around White House fenced off. Also all grass on Mall is fenced off.

7:15 Perimeter of police and blockades on side walk around World Bank and IMF (this is what American democracy looks like). Two busloads of riot geared police at Penn. Av. and 18th. There are New Jersey police around Bank as well. About five TV channels are out infront of the Bank. A couple set up in a highrise across the street. world ABnk employees are being transported in on unmarked Greyhound buses.

7:20 Lot's of Police on K street between Conn. and 19th Streets. But Metro at Farrgut North is open in functioning. Note some of the people that appear to be Metro workers are undercover police...(uncovered having breakfast with their colleagues). Otherwise not a great police presence in Metro.

**Last night's sleepout in front of HUD drew about 30 people at its height and was covered by Fox5 live on the 10 p.m. news. No disturbance from police, although Fed's warned people not to block entrances in the morning.
read more at  http://dc.indymedia.org/