"700 arrested after protest on NY's Brooklyn Bridge" by Colleen Long Associated Press / October 1, 2011
NEW YORK—More than 700 protesters demonstrating against corporate greed, global warming and social inequality, among other grievances, were arrested Saturday after they swarmed the Brooklyn Bridge and shut down a lane of traffic for several hours in a tense confrontation with police.
The group Occupy Wall Street has been camped out in a plaza in Manhattan's Financial District for nearly two weeks staging various marches, and had orchestrated an impromptu trek to Brooklyn on Saturday afternoon.
Related: The Proof is in the Photo
The only thing you can say about their coverage is pathetic.
They walked in thick rows on the sidewalk up to the bridge, where some demonstrators spilled onto the roadway after being told to stay on the pedestrian pathway, police said.
The majority of those arrested were given citations for disorderly conduct and were released, police said.
Some protesters sat on the roadway, chanting "Let us go," while others chanted and yelled at police from the pedestrian walkaway above. Police used orange netting to stop the group from going farther down the bridge, which is under construction.
Some of the protesters said they were lured onto the roadway by police, or they didn't hear the calls from authorities to head to the pedestrian walkway. Police said no one was tricked into being arrested, and those in the back of the group who couldn't hear were allowed to leave....
Erin Larkins, a Columbia University graduate student at who says she and her boyfriend have significant student loan debt, was among the thousands of protesters on the bridge. She said a friend persuaded her to join the march and she's glad she did.
"I don't think we're asking for much, just to wake up every morning not worrying whether we can pay the rent, or whether our next meal will be rice and beans again," Larkins wrote in an email to The Associated Press. "No one is expecting immediate change. I think everyone is just hopeful that people will wake up a bit and realize that the more we speak up, the more the people that do have the authority to make changes in this world listen."
The truth is, I have given up on them. I've spent five years hammering away on this keyboard and they haven't listened to one word.
Several videos taken of the event show a confusing, chaotic scene. Some show protesters screaming obscenities at police and taking a hat from one of the officers. Others show police struggling with people who refuse to get up. Nearby, a couple posed for wedding pictures on the bridge....
I'm going to link some videos below and you can judge for yourself. Now let's see if the status quo, corporate media covers the police brutality.
Earlier Saturday, thousands who joined two other marches crossed the Brooklyn Bridge without problems. One was from Brooklyn to Manhattan by a group opposed to genetically modified food. Another in the opposite direction marched against poverty organized by United Way.
Elsewhere in the U.S. on Saturday, protesters assembled in Albuquerque, N.M., Boston and Los Angeles to express their solidarity with the movement in New York, though their demands remain unclear.
Only to THOSE NOT LISTENING!
Occupy Wall Street demonstrators have been camped in Zuccotti Park and have clashed with police on earlier occasions. Mostly, the protests have been peaceful, and the movement has shown no signs of losing steam. Celebrities including Michael Moore and Susan Sarandon made recent stops to encourage the group.
During the length of the protest, turnout has varied, but the numbers have reached as high as about a few thousand. A core group of about two hundred people remain camped throughout the week. They sleep on air mattresses, use Mac laptops and play drums. They go to the bathroom at the local McDonald's. A few times a day, they march down to Wall Street, yelling, "This is what democracy looks like!"
There has been a growing swell of coverage in mainstream media, but there has been loud complaining the cause hasn't been championed fast enough -- or in the way protesters want.
Oh, really? WHERE?
Misinformation has added to the confusion.
That would be your NEWSPAPERS at WORK!
For instance, a rumor sprang up on Twitter that the New York Police Department wanted to use tear gas on protesters -- a crowd-control tactic the department doesn't use. The claim was eventually retracted, one of several such retractions over the past several days. On Friday, a message said Radiohead would be performing in solidarity for the cause, but the band's management said it wasn't playing.
Earlier clashes with police have resulted in about 100 arrests. Most were for disorderly conduct. Many were the subject of homemade videos posted online.
One video surfaced of a group of girls shot with pepper spray by NYPD Deputy Inspector Anthony Bologna.
Yeah, the SAME GUY was a GOON at the 2004 Republican Convention!!
The woman claimed they were abused and demanded the officer resign, and the video has been the subject of several news articles and commentary....
Not in my printed Globe; however, at least the AP did get around to mentioning some cop brutality.
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"700 arrested after protest on NY's Brooklyn Bridge" by Colleen Long Associated Press / October 2, 2011
NEW YORK—Protesters speaking out against corporate greed and other grievances were maintaining a presence in Manhattan's Financial District even after more than 700 of them were arrested during a march on the Brooklyn Bridge in a tense confrontation with police....
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Related:
“OCCUPY WALL STREET” INSPIRES PROTESTS IN BOSTON
Occupy Boston will gather at Dewey Square in Downtown Boston today Friday, September 30 at 6 p.m., to begin an ongoing protest, discuss the state of the union and develop out of that discussion a list of specific changes to ensure our government actually works for the benefit of all citizens.
Not a word in the Globe about it. Occupy Boston Protesters Chanting F**K THE FED!
I know I won't be seeing that in my Globe.
Boston is not New York - Unlike in New York, where police herd protesters onto illegal walkways, then arrest them, Boston Police have not interfered
Mayor Bloomberg Says Occupy Wall Street Poses "Societal Concerns," We Should "Help the Banks"
US Protests: 'People aware Wall Street is real enemy
Brooklyn Bridge video: Police arrest Occupy Wall Street protesters
American Spring? 'Occupy Wall Street just the beginning'
‘Occupy Wall Street’ Gets Huge Boost From Labor Unions
From the J.P. Morgan website - confirmation of $4.6 million gift to the NYPD that is pepper spraying the Wall Street protesters
