'Occupy' protesters rally at Capitol

WASHINGTON -- Several hundred protesters affiliated with the Occupy Wall Street movement converged on the West Lawn of the Capitol yesterday to decry the influence of corporate money in politics and voice myriad other grievances.

Organizers had touted the rally, known as Occupy Congress, as the largest national gathering of Occupy protesters to date and secured a permit that would have allowed up to 10,000 people to participate. By midafternoon, the protest appeared to have fallen far short of that.

In the evening, the White House was locked down for a time as what appeared to be a smoke bomb tossed over the fence of the compound was being investigated, a Secret Service spokesman said. He said most of the protesters had left the area and there were no arrests. President Barack Obama and wife Michelle had gone out to dinner and returned while the investigation was going on.

Despite their smaller numbers, participants said they were optimistic about the strength of the movement, which began in September in Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan.

"I'm encouraged," said Jon Wynn, 63, of Snow Camp, N.C., who came to attend the protest and visit friends. "There's energy here, even if there's not a whole lot of people."

The protest comes amid numerous polls that show 84 percent of Americans disapprove of the job Congress is doing, near an all-time low.

The rally was mostly peaceful, but there were scuffles between police and protesters along walkways leading to the Capitol. By midafternoon, four people had been arrested, Capitol police said, one for allegedly assaulting a police officer and three accused of crossing a police line.

The Occupy movement includes activists who want to change government from within, and anarchists who oppose all government. Tension between the two camps was evident; some taunted police, others participated in earnest group discussions about how to influence their elected representatives.

Anne Filson, 71, a retired teacher from Madison, N.H., said she was disappointed by the turnout and said Occupy protesters needed to stick to their core message of narrowing the gap between rich and poor.