Occupy Harvard's First Night: An Eyewitness Account

Roberto F. Velez '03, a teaching fellow in the Visual and Environmental Studies Department, shot this video of last Wednesday's Occupy Harvard protest depicting the night as it unfolded.

Velez, who was an undergraduate during Harvard's Living Wage Campaign, previously co-directed a documentary about the 2001 campaign titled "Occupation."

"Having a camera [during the Living Wage Campaign] with the protesters was so useful," Velez said. "In one way it's protection for the protesters."

When asked about the most anxious moment of last week's protest, Velez spoke about the stand-down between police officers and marchers trying to enter Harvard Yard through the gate closest to the science center.

"I don't know why they chose to close the gate, but I think it was fairly aggressive on the part of the police," Velez said. "In 2001 there was a tent city with about twice as many tents, and they had all sorts of people from the community living in the Yard without issues."