Before dawn this morning, U.S. Park Police descended on the Occupy D.C. encampment in McPherson Square, The Washington Post reports. Several downtown blocks were cordoned off as mounted police and police in riot gear swarmed the park. Protesters generally did not resist -- only six arrests were made -- but did shout, "Wake up!" and other cheers. Once the space had been evacuated, more police in yellow hazmat suits collapsed tents and collected fetid clothing, blankets and trash, tossing them into plastic bags. Also discovered: multiple rodent corpses, lying beneath wood pallets used by protesters as makeshift boxsprings. Would that they not have died in vain.

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Seth Abramovitch