02-10-2011, 06:54 PM
[/php][/code]As far as my memory recalls, this is the 2nd time protestors got arrested.
I think this movement has a capacity to blow up or fizzle away quietly.
Watch this space.
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2011/10/0...speak.html
NEW YORKâMore than 700 protesters associated with the "Occupy Wall Street" movement were arrested Saturday afternoon for blocking traffic on New York's Brooklyn Bridge.
The arrests began at 4:45 p.m. and continued for hours. Brooklyn-bound traffic resumed at about 8 p.m. after being halted for roughly four hours, snarling traffic throughout lower Manhattan, according to Paul Browne, deputy commissioner of the New York City Police Department.
Protesters were taken to precincts throughout Brooklyn and New York, where many were issued tickets for disorderly conduct and released, according to Mark Taylor, an attorney working with the nonprofit National Lawyers Guild.
The march began in Lower Manhattan, and as protesters approached the entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge, some people entered the pedestrian walkway, while others entered the Brooklyn-bound roadway, walking with traffic, according to several witnesses.
Police said people were advised to stay on the walkway and not go into the roadway. Some protesters "locked arms and proceeded on the roadway," said Mr. Browne, which blocked Brooklyn-bound traffic on the bridge.
Witnesses said police entered the bridge from the Brooklyn side and began arresting people on the roadway. Protesters on the pedestrian walkway were free to go.
"People were marching in the street and there were cops there letting people march on the road," said Jessica Rechtschaffer, 41 years old, a protester who lives in Manhattan. "The police changed their mind and corralled everybody and arrested them." Ms. Rechtschaffer added that protesters weren't "violent or destructive."
"It was all very orderly, but people were out in the streets," she said.
The "Occupy Wall Street" protesters have been in Zucotti Park near Wall Street for more than two weeks. The loose-knit organization has gathered to protest against "greed and corruption" in the financial industry, among other things. In recent days, they have gained support from celebrities and organized labor alike.
The NYPD has come under fire in the last week for its handling of some of the protesters. Earlier in the week, the department opened an investigation into allegations that a supervisor inappropriately pepper-sprayed a group of demonstrators.
Several protesters that were a part of the Saturday afternoon march said that arrests had been videotaped and broadcast to the Internet.
Alma Sheppard-Matsuo, a 24 year old animator from Brooklyn, had her iPhone ready when she entered the Brooklyn Bridge. She said that police were helping to lead protesters onto the roadway and keep them safe. It seemed to her that the police officers "had orders that it was OK until we were halfway onto the bridge and they got different orders," she said.
Ms. Sheppard-Matsuo was released from police custody early Sunday morning and said she was given one summons for obstructing traffic and another for being on the Brooklyn bridge.
A welcoming committee of nine people had gathered Saturday night outside the 77th precinct in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, to greet protesters that had been arrested. They had water, snacks, and cigarettes, and were ready to give hugs. Mostly, they had gathered to make sure that everyone, especially any young people unfamiliar with the city, had a friendly face to help them get safely back to Manhattan.
A little after midnight, Christopher Abbadessa, 24 years old and a resident of Greenpoint, Brooklyn, was the first person released from the 77th precinct. He was issued a ticket, but didn't know the specific charge. He waited outside for his girlfriend, who was also arrested.
Mr. Abbadessa, a musician, says he was walking in the roadway across the Brooklyn Bridge. He said that he didn't see anyone being pepper sprayed and said that the police he encountered "were actually all very nice to me, and I was respectful." Mr. Abbadessa said that protesters were fed a sandwich with peanut butter and a cup of water. He says he hadn't anticipated being arrested today and it was his first such ticket.
Sara Teitelbaum, 25, of Millerton, N.Y., a town about three hours north of Manhattan, waited outside the 77th precint for her husband, Mark Pruce, who had also been arrested. By 1 a.m., she was tired and cold. "I'm curious to see if he wants to keep protesting," she said, adding that he was passionate about protesting. "We can get in a car and go home or go back to Zucotti Park," she said.
Early Sunday morning, a spokesman for the NYPD said that there were approximately 700 people arrested. A total number would not be known until daybreak because protesters were routed to many precincts across the city for processing. Most were issued a ticket for disorderly conduct.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424...23790.html
Additional "readings"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupy_Wall_Street
I think this movement has a capacity to blow up or fizzle away quietly.
Watch this space.
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2011/10/0...speak.html
NEW YORKâMore than 700 protesters associated with the "Occupy Wall Street" movement were arrested Saturday afternoon for blocking traffic on New York's Brooklyn Bridge.
The arrests began at 4:45 p.m. and continued for hours. Brooklyn-bound traffic resumed at about 8 p.m. after being halted for roughly four hours, snarling traffic throughout lower Manhattan, according to Paul Browne, deputy commissioner of the New York City Police Department.
Protesters were taken to precincts throughout Brooklyn and New York, where many were issued tickets for disorderly conduct and released, according to Mark Taylor, an attorney working with the nonprofit National Lawyers Guild.
The march began in Lower Manhattan, and as protesters approached the entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge, some people entered the pedestrian walkway, while others entered the Brooklyn-bound roadway, walking with traffic, according to several witnesses.
Police said people were advised to stay on the walkway and not go into the roadway. Some protesters "locked arms and proceeded on the roadway," said Mr. Browne, which blocked Brooklyn-bound traffic on the bridge.
Witnesses said police entered the bridge from the Brooklyn side and began arresting people on the roadway. Protesters on the pedestrian walkway were free to go.
"People were marching in the street and there were cops there letting people march on the road," said Jessica Rechtschaffer, 41 years old, a protester who lives in Manhattan. "The police changed their mind and corralled everybody and arrested them." Ms. Rechtschaffer added that protesters weren't "violent or destructive."
"It was all very orderly, but people were out in the streets," she said.
The "Occupy Wall Street" protesters have been in Zucotti Park near Wall Street for more than two weeks. The loose-knit organization has gathered to protest against "greed and corruption" in the financial industry, among other things. In recent days, they have gained support from celebrities and organized labor alike.
The NYPD has come under fire in the last week for its handling of some of the protesters. Earlier in the week, the department opened an investigation into allegations that a supervisor inappropriately pepper-sprayed a group of demonstrators.
Several protesters that were a part of the Saturday afternoon march said that arrests had been videotaped and broadcast to the Internet.
Alma Sheppard-Matsuo, a 24 year old animator from Brooklyn, had her iPhone ready when she entered the Brooklyn Bridge. She said that police were helping to lead protesters onto the roadway and keep them safe. It seemed to her that the police officers "had orders that it was OK until we were halfway onto the bridge and they got different orders," she said.
Ms. Sheppard-Matsuo was released from police custody early Sunday morning and said she was given one summons for obstructing traffic and another for being on the Brooklyn bridge.
A welcoming committee of nine people had gathered Saturday night outside the 77th precinct in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, to greet protesters that had been arrested. They had water, snacks, and cigarettes, and were ready to give hugs. Mostly, they had gathered to make sure that everyone, especially any young people unfamiliar with the city, had a friendly face to help them get safely back to Manhattan.
A little after midnight, Christopher Abbadessa, 24 years old and a resident of Greenpoint, Brooklyn, was the first person released from the 77th precinct. He was issued a ticket, but didn't know the specific charge. He waited outside for his girlfriend, who was also arrested.
Mr. Abbadessa, a musician, says he was walking in the roadway across the Brooklyn Bridge. He said that he didn't see anyone being pepper sprayed and said that the police he encountered "were actually all very nice to me, and I was respectful." Mr. Abbadessa said that protesters were fed a sandwich with peanut butter and a cup of water. He says he hadn't anticipated being arrested today and it was his first such ticket.
Sara Teitelbaum, 25, of Millerton, N.Y., a town about three hours north of Manhattan, waited outside the 77th precint for her husband, Mark Pruce, who had also been arrested. By 1 a.m., she was tired and cold. "I'm curious to see if he wants to keep protesting," she said, adding that he was passionate about protesting. "We can get in a car and go home or go back to Zucotti Park," she said.
Early Sunday morning, a spokesman for the NYPD said that there were approximately 700 people arrested. A total number would not be known until daybreak because protesters were routed to many precincts across the city for processing. Most were issued a ticket for disorderly conduct.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424...23790.html
Additional "readings"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupy_Wall_Street
