PHOTOS: The Occupy Central camp on Sunday, before the pepper spray and tear gas

By Laurel Chor

Sep 29, 2014 | 4:02pm Hong Kong time

We made our way through the crowd in Wan Chai to get to the Occupy Central camp in Admiralty. The police had blocked off all access to the camp except to the media. (They gave us some trouble until a media liaison officer let us through.)

The media liaison officer led us to the barricade, which the protesters had made from police barriers, zip ties, and umbrellas. We climbed over with the help of other journalists and protesters. We were no longer in police-controlled territory.

On the other side, a crowd of protesters were stationed there, ready to defend the barricade from the police. They wore ponchos, saran wrap, and eye goggles and carried umbrellas in anticipation of pepper spray and tear gas.

Protesters stood atop the barriers to survey the scene beyond the camp.

In true Hong Kong style, everyone was constantly on their phones, checking for updates and keeping themselves entertained. Many made sure their phones would be protected against pepper spray and water cannons.

A protester cheerfully declined supplies from a volunteer, who was carting them around and offering them to people.

They had a lot of supplies: saran wrap, goggles, towels, water, saline solution to wash their eyes out of pepper spray or tear gas, snacks…

They even had recycling and composting stations.

As the Occupy Central camp had multiple entry points, students and police stood guard on either side.

Some protesters, face-to-face with the police officers, got very emotional. They were screaming at them and pleading them to join them.

Police stand inside the gates of the Central Government Complex, which have been covered in the yellow ribbons symbolic of the movement.

At the south end of the camp was the biggest stand-off of all the entry points. Here we see the Occupy Central camp, a line of police, and then the larger crowd of protesters who had come to join.