But their numbers grew steadily throughout the day as scores of protesters moved through the city, picketing outside the offices of corporations like Disney, Bank of America, Chase, Paulson & Co. and marching through Midtown.
 
Later yesterday afternoon, police arrested several protesters who were part of a larger group of Occupiers making their way from Buchwick across the Williamsburg Bridge. An earlier announcement on the OWS website encouraged protesters to try to block bridges and tunnels, though that never happened yesterday.
 
The NYPD reported more arrests during an afternoon “Wildcat” march that left from Sara D. Roosevelt Park in the East Village. Police said other protesters were cuffed in SoHo and Greenwich Village.

An estimated 15,000 protesters converged at Union Square just before 5 p.m. before departing on a massive permitted march down Broadway to Wall Street to Battery Park City, where the protest raged into the night.

“The sheer numbers are nothing to be laughed at,” protester Liberty Locke told Metro. “These numbers are amazing.”

Jesse Greenspan contributed to this report.

In all, about 86 people associated with OWS were arrested yesterday, according to the NYPD Wednesday morning.

— Police estimate four protesters were arrested in and around Bryant Park, including one man who said he was a Vietnam veteran arrested for blocking traffic.

— Police made more near Waverly and 6th Avenue when protesters marched to Washington Square Park.

— Police made at least three arrests on the Manhattan side of the Williamsburg Bridge when a group of protesters crossed it from Brooklyn.

— Police made several arrests near Spring Street and Lafayette during the “Wildcat” march.

— More protesters were arrested during the massive march from Union Square to the Financial District, where some confrontations with police occurred when protesters arrived at the foot of Wall Street to see it heavily barricaded.

The post Occupy Wall Street makes its ‘May Day’ comeback appeared first on Metro.us.

Metro’s original story is below.

Occupy Wall Street’s events for “May Day” continue to garner traction through the afternoon.

Just before 3 p.m., hundreds of protesters filled Fifth Avenue, effectively shutting down the road, as the march downtown toward Union Square.

Police have made several arrests since protesters began gathering at Bryant Park for the start of today’s general strike — where people are encouraged to skip work, school and shopping.

A Vietnam veteran who stood in the road near Bryant Park was one of the day’s first arrests. Other protesters were arrested in marches on the Williamsburg Bridge and the so-called “Wildcat” march that police said might employ “Black Bloc” tactics. Police did not have an updated arrest count this afternoon.

Hundreds of protesters are on the move throughout the city. A rally at Union Square is set to begin at 4 p.m.. Protesters will leave Union Square and march to Wall Street at 5:30 p.m. in what could prove to be the day’s largest Occupy event.

The post 30 people arrested in Occupy ‘May Day’ protests appeared first on Metro.us.

Tomorrow’s “May Day” is a general strike — people across the world are being encouraged by the Occupy movement not to attend work or school and not go shopping. Protesters say the day is meant to send a message of what life without the 99 percent would be like.

“By simply stepping out of the systems of production that confine and divide us, we can transform the conditions of society itself,” the May Day website for actions in NYC states.

In NYC — the birthplace of Occupy Wall Street — marches, workshops and rallies are planned throughout the day. A “Pop-up Occupation” at Bryant Park begins at 8 a.m., which will be “a launching ground for direct action and civil disobedience in Midtown, including 99 pickets,” according to the site.

One of the day’s larger events will likely be a permitted march from Union Square to Wall Street at 5:30 p.m., which will kick off after a rally featuring musical acts, including one from Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine. Occupiers are calling on students, labor unions, immigrants and other organizations to join them in the march, followed by an after party dubbed the “Haymarket Martyrs Memorial Resistance Rager.”

Occupy protesters are heavily promoting May Day through social networking. Here’s roundup of tweets across the country as the movement gears up for what it hopes to be a momentous day of action.

[View the story "May Day" on Storify]

The post Occupy Wall Street prepares for ‘May Day’ general strike appeared first on Metro.us.

The “1,000,000 Hoodie March for Trayvon Martin” will leave at 6 p.m. tonight from Union Square. Participants are encouraged to wear hooded sweatshirts as a symbol of racial profiling, which many say played a role in Martin’s death.

Check out photos of the march here

Martin, 17, was walking back to his father’s house from a convenience store when he was shot and killed in a backyard. Volunteer neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman placed a 911 call requesting police assistance when he saw Martin walking. 911 recordings revealed that he began following Martin, even after the operator told him he didn’t need to do that. Zimmerman later admitted to police that he shot Martin. He has not yet been charged, though the FBI is now involved in the investigation.

Tonight’s march was planned by InterOccupy, an organization that fosters communication throughout different faucets of the Occupy Wall Street movement.

“A black person in a hoodie isn’t automatically ‘suspicious.’ Let’s put an end to racial profiling!” organizers declared on the invitation to the march.

Martin’s death has sparked nationwide outcry and several notable celebrities have called for justice. As Complex reported, director Spike Lee tweeted about tonight’s march, asking for more information.

InterOccupy is also asking supporters to sign a petition posted on Change.org by Martin’s parents. It calls for the prosecution of George Zimmerman. More than 800,000 people have signed it.

The post Union Square ‘hoodie march’ planned for Trayvon Martin appeared first on Metro.us.

The group, called Occupy the Highway, joined the Occupy D.C. movement today, where they will conduct a joint general assembly, before moving the National Mall for a “temporary occupation,” according to a press release from Occupy Wall Street.

Marchers left Zuccotti Park in New York City on November 9 with a goal of reaching D.C. by November 22. They visited other Occupy movements and set up camp in towns along their route during the two-week march, where they walked about 20 miles per day. The plan was to get to D.C. to hold a rally against tax breaks for the wealthy ahead of a meeting by the super committee, which has failed to reach a deal on reducing the deficit.

“The so-called super committee was a failure from the beginning. It was an attempt to do something undemocratic. Thankfully it didn’t work,” said Michael Glazer, an organizer of Occupy the Highway. “No one has the courage to stand up inside our corrupt political system and fight for regular Americans. So, we will continue to take a stand outside the system.”

After this afternoon’s general assembly, Occupy the Highway will march to Freedom Plaza and then to the Capitol steps, where protesters plan to discuss the “failure of the U.S. government to be accountable to its people.”

The post Occupy Wall Street march to D.C. arrives in capital appeared first on Metro.us.

Earlier in the morning, attorneys with the National Lawyers Guild went to the park with a court order telling the city to let the protesters return, but officers and barriers remained at the park’s perimeter, prohibiting anyone from entering. Attorneys for the movement are in court again this afternoon to decide whether the protesters’ right to demonstrate should include use of tents and tarps in the park

As hundreds of protesters chanted, “You are breaking the law,” some of them began pulling police barriers apart, as officers wrestled with them to keep them in place. At least one person was arrested.

The crowd continued to march and chant around Zuccotti Park, many protesters hopping the first line of police barriers, trying to inch their way into the park. The mood at the scene was tense as many protesters became agitated with
police, yelling and accusing officers of breaking the law.

At one point, a group of officers with fistfuls of zip-tie handcuffs flooded the now-vacant park.

One protester, Lily, said the decision to evict occupiers from Zuccotti Park will only make things “worse for Thursday.”

“The plan right now is to go down onto Wall Street on Thursday and some people are planning to disrupt the proceedings down there,” said Lily, who did not want to give her last name.

She would not go into further detail about Occupy Wall Street’s planned day of action, though the movement’s website indicates protesters are planning to march to the New York Stock Exchange.

The post PHOTOS: Protesters try to reoccupy Zuccotti Park appeared first on Metro.us.

According to a press release from Occupy Wall Street, Egyptian Democratic revolutionaries contacted the movement to request American protesters take part in the “International Day to Defend the Egyptian Revolution.”

According to the press release from Occupy Wall Street:

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which has controlled the government since President Mubarak’s resignation, has committed a series of crimes against the people of Egypt. These actions include the arrest and denial of due process for more than 12,000 civilians, systematic sexual assault of imprisoned women and the blatant massacre of scores of protesters. The American government supports the Egyptian military, giving more than $1.3 billion in aid annually. No effort has been made to deny the military aid in spite of these transgressions against the people they are supposed to protect.

The march is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. at the Pulitzer Plaza Fountain near 58th Street and 5th Avenue.

The post Occupy Wall Street to march to Egyptian consulate appeared first on Metro.us.

Occupy Wall Street announced a march to Washington, D.C. that will kick off today at noon. The march, called “Occupy the Highway,” will leave from Zuccotti Park and go on for two weeks until protesters reach the Capitol. Marchers will walk 20 miles per day from 9 a.m to 5 p.m. and hold nightly General Assembly meetings in the towns where they stop to camp.

A blog for the march, NYCmarch2dc, says “Occupy the Highway” has been given $3,000 from the General Assembly of Occupy Wall Street, which will be spent on food, gear, media and transportation for protesters back to OWS. There will not be a support vehicle, but the blog states that organizers of the march plan to get a “crash course” from the OWS medical team.

Protesters on the march plan to visit Occupy movements in other cities along the way, including Philadelphia and Baltimore, until they reach D.C. by the November 23 for the Congressional “super committee” meeting.

“This committee has the power to keep the Bush tax cuts (that only benefit the top 1 percent) or let them expire,” reads the Occupy Wall Street website. “We want to be there to fight for the 99 percent.”

“We want to bring our voice to D.C.and let them know what we think,” Bronx student Andre Medina told Metro.

“Occupy the Highway” is also meant to encourage participation from people who live outside major cities.

“Organizers draw inspiration from the long, historic marches of the Civil Rights Movement and like those marches, participants hope to encourage increasing numbers of the 99 percent in rural communities to become involved and to spread the principles of the Occupy Movement along the way,” said a press release from Occupy Wall Street.

Here is the posted schedule for the two-week march:

11/9/11: Liberty Square to Elizabeth, NJ
11/10/11: Elizabeth, NJ to New Brunswick, NJ
11/11/11: New Brunswick, NJ to Trenton, NJ
11/12/11: Trenton, NJ to Andalusia, PA
11/13/11: Andalusia, PA to Occupy Philly
11/14/11: Day off at Occupy Philly
11/15/11: Occupy Philly to Wilmington, DE
11/16/11: Wilmington, DE to Newark, DE
11/17/11: Newark, DE to Rising Sun, MD
11/18/11: Rising Sun, MD to Bel Air, MD
11/19/11: Bel Air, MD to Occupy Baltimore
11/20/11: Day off at Occupy Baltimore
11/21/11: Occupy Baltimore to Laurel, MD
11/22/11: Laurel, MD to Occupy DC
11/23/11: Occupy DC to The White House for super committee meeting

More on Occupy Wall Street

Occupy Wall Street’s 11-mile march through Manhattan.

Performers Crosby & Nash put on show for Occupy Wall Street protesters.

More on how the protest is affecting the real estate market in Lower Manhattan.

Occupy Wall Street installs portable restrooms after complaints of public urination.

The post Occupy Wall Street hits the road for march to D.C. appeared first on Metro.us.

Labor union representatives and other activists are expected to join the “end to end for 99 percent” march, as protesters are calling it.

“Our communities have been devastated by the economic assault on middle class and poor families, even as Wall Street has enjoyed a historic financial bonanza,” said State Senator Adriano Espaillat, whose district covers parts of Manhattan and the Bronx, in a press release from OWS. “We are marching together because we want to stand up for the 99 percent who have been left behind in this economy and build a stronger society that works for all Americans, not just the select few.”

The march will end in Zuccotti Park, where protesters have been camped for almost two months.

Also this morning, Occupy Wall Street announced a partnership with street vendors to allow people to donate food to protesters. Food donations that will be sent to the kitchen inside the camp can be made through a website sponsored by the Street Vendor Project, part of the non-profit Urban Justice Center.

The post Occupy Wall Street plans 11-mile march appeared first on Metro.us.

A press release sent by protester Tony Murphy, who identified himself as a member of the jobless working group, said, “The MTA is giving $2 billion to Wall Street firms and big banks, while half a million New Yorkers are suffering with no jobs or income.”

“People think of the MTA as government agency that runs on taxes, and in actuality they run on bonds that they sell on Wall Street,” Murphy said.

Murphy said focusing on the MTA was a natural progression for a movement that is all about the 99%.

“The MTA can afford to finance people. They should really reduce the rate for everybody,” said Murphy. “We are all for this demand leaning towards reduction of fare for anyone who needs to use public transportation, as well as improvement and services, which have gone down drastically. The system has really been dismantled.”

The march is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. Friday at the southeast corner of Zuccotti Park.

Patrick Bruner, a designated spokesman for Occupy Wall Street, said Thursday afternoon that he had not yet heard of the plan for this march.

The post Occupy Wall Street demands free subway rides for the jobless appeared first on Metro.us.

The SlutWalk march started in April of this year in Toronto, after a police officer there reportedly said, “Women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized.” 

Organizers say they are fighting to end the victim-blaming that so often accompanies sexual assault crimes.

“We figured it was time to do it here, because we can really be a game-changer,” said organizer Melissa Marturano, 23, of bringing the march to New York.

One woman from Brooklyn, who gave her name as Kaitlin Dale, said she attended Saturday’s march because she wanted to support fellow rape survivors. Dale, 24, was attacked in 2009 in New York City after finishing a shift as a waitress. A man drugged her drink and followed her home. He then raped her in her apartment, she said. Dale wants victims to know it is never their fault. “We have the right … not be blamed for it,” she said.

Wear what you like

The organizers of the march do not encourage those who attend to wear sexy clothes — women can wear what they want. After all, women can be raped in a skirt or sweatpants, organizers said. “You can be raped in anything,” organizer Melissa Marturano told Metro.

Follow Alison Bowen on Twitter @AlisonatMetro.
 

The post SlutWalk marches on Union Square appeared first on Metro.us.

The name of the walk is a stab at the ludicrous notion that women donning tight mini-skirts and low-cut shirts are “asking for it.” More specifically, it was named after a comment an officer in Toronto made that “women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to victimized.”

After that offensive comment, men and woman took the streets of Toronto to prove they weren’t “asking for it.”

Thousands are expected to gather at Union Square to march against rape and sexual assault.

Organizers do not suggest that women wear sexy clothing, making the point that women can be attacked in a short skirt or sweatpants. “You can be raped in anything,” organizer Melissa Marturano said.

The issue has been a hot topic in New York City recently with the recent attacks in Park Slope. The police department has been criticized heavily, mainly from Park Slope residents, for their inadequate response to the attacker.

According to the SlutWalks NYC website, people are urged to gather at Union Square at 11 am on Saturday Oct. 1 to paint posters.  The march will begin an hour later.

The route will include walking down Broadway to 8th Street then over to Second Ave. From there the march will go to Third Street over to Lafayette Avenue and from there back to Union Square.

Get creative with your posters, folks and say it loud and clear: your little black dress does not mean ‘yes.’
 

The post Slutwalk NYC: Walk of no shame appeared first on Metro.us.