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	==== March on Brooklyn Bridge ====		==== March on Brooklyn Bridge ====
	On October 1, 2011, protesters set out to march across ]. '']'' reported that more than 700 arrests were made. The police used ten buses to carry protesters off the bridge. ~~However, many protesters~~ said the police had tricked ~~them~~, allowing them onto the bridge, and even escorting them partway across. Jesse A. Myerson, a media coordinator for Occupy Wall Street said, “The cops watched and did nothing, indeed, seemed to guide us onto the roadway.”<ref>{{cite news\|last=Baker\|first=Al\|title=Police Arrest More Than 400 Protesters on Brooklyn Bridge\|url=http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/01/police-arresting-protesters-on-brooklyn-bridge/\|accessdate=1 October 2011\|newspaper=The New York Times\|date=1 October 2011}}</ref> A spokesman for the ], Paul Browne, ~~vouched~~ that protesters were given multiple warnings to stay on the sidewalk and not block the street, and were arrested when they refused.<ref name=700arrest/>		On October 1, 2011, protesters set out to march across ]. '']'' reported that more than 700 arrests were made. The police used ten buses to carry protesters off the bridge. Some said the police had tricked protestors, allowing them onto the bridge, and even escorting them partway across. Jesse A. Myerson, a media coordinator for Occupy Wall Street said, “The cops watched and did nothing, indeed, seemed to guide us onto the roadway.”<ref>{{cite news\|last=Baker\|first=Al\|title=Police Arrest More Than 400 Protesters on Brooklyn Bridge\|url=http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/01/police-arresting-protesters-on-brooklyn-bridge/\|accessdate=1 October 2011\|newspaper=The New York Times\|date=1 October 2011}}</ref> However, some statements by protestors supported descriptions of the event given by police: for example, one protestor Tweeted that "The police didn't lead us on to the bridge. They were backing the up." <ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/02/occupy-wall-street-nypd-tactics\|title=Occupy Wall Street protest: NYPD accused of heavy-handed tactics\|last=Pilkington\|first=Ed\|publisher=Guardian.co.uk\|year=2011\|date=Oct. 2}}</ref> A spokesman for the ], Paul Browne, said that protesters were given multiple warnings to stay on the sidewalk and not block the street, and were arrested when they refused.<ref name=700arrest/> By October 2 all but 20 of the arrestees had been released with citations for disorderly conduct and a criminal court summons.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15143509\|title=Hundreds freed after New York Wall Street protest\|date=2 October 2011\|work=BBC News\|publisher=BBC\|accessdate=2 October 2011}}</ref>

	By October 2 all but 20 of the arrestees had been released with citations for disorderly conduct and a criminal court summons.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15143509\|title=Hundreds freed after New York Wall Street protest\|date=2 October 2011\|work=BBC News\|publisher=BBC\|accessdate=2 October 2011}}</ref>

	==Reactions==		==Reactions==

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Occupy Wall Street

;Inaugural poster for the Occupy Wall Street protest

Date

September 17, 2011 (2011-09-17) (Constitution Day) – ongoing

Location

New York City, USA

Methods

Civil resistance, Civil disobedience, Occupation, Picketing, Political rallies

Status

Ongoing with "occupy" movements spreading to other cities, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Portland

Parties

Organizations:

AdBusters NYC General Assembly US Days of Rage Unions Interest groups: Anarchism Anonymous Student activists

New York City Police Department

Lead figures

Leaderless

Number

Near Wall Street: At least several hundred Including other activity in NYC: Over 2,000 (march on police headquarters) Over 700 (crossing Brooklyn Bridge)

Casualties and losses

Arrests: 780+

Occupy Wall Street is an ongoing demonstration in New York City. The Canadian anti-consumerist, pro-environment group Adbusters initially called for the protest and was inspired by the Arab Spring movement, particularly the Tahrir Square protests in Cairo which initiated the 2011 Egyptian Revolution. The protest's organizers hope that protestors themselves will formulate specific demands, and organizers expect that these demands will be focused on "taking to task the people who perpetrated the economic meltdown."

By October 1, similar demonstrations were held in Washington, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Miami and Portland, Maine, and Denver.

Background

After the late-2000s recession that left many countries on the edge of bankruptcy, with weakened economies and unemployment at very high levels, a Canadian-based group, the Adbusters Media Foundation, best known for its advertisement-free anti-consumerist magazine called Adbusters, proposed a peaceful occupation of Wall Street in protest against the current leadership, U.S. politics and the failure to prevent or make effective changes in the global financial crisis. According to the senior editor of the magazine, “ basically floated the idea in mid-July into our and it was spontaneously taken up by all the people of the world, it just kind of snowballed from there.” Although it was originally proposed by Adbusters magazine, the demonstration is leaderless. Activists from Anonymous encouraged its followers to take part in the protest, which increased the attention it received. Other groups followed, including the NYC General Assembly and U.S. Day of Rage.

Prior to the protest's beginning on September 17, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a press conference, "People have a right to protest, and if they want to protest, we'll be happy to make sure they have locations to do it."

Demands and goals

According to Adbusters, a primary protest organizer, the central demand of the protest is that President Barack Obama "ordain a Presidential Commission tasked with ending the influence money has over our representatives in Washington." Michael Moore had suggested that this is not like any other protest but this protest represents a variety of demands with a common statement about government corruption and the privileging of big business and the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans in policy making.

The protest has been criticized for its lack of focus and actionable agenda. In an article that was critical of the protesters, Ginia Bellafante wrote in The New York Times: "The group’s lack of cohesion and its apparent wish to pantomime progressivism rather than practice it knowledgably is unsettling in the face of the challenges so many of its generation face — finding work, repaying student loans, figuring out ways to finish college when money has run out." Glenn Greenwald responded to this criticism, writing, "Does anyone really not know what the basic message is of this protest: that Wall Street is oozing corruption and criminality and its unrestrained political power—in the form of crony capitalism and ownership of political institutions—is destroying financial security for everyone else?".

The desire to form a more coherent agenda was evident around the 13th day of the occupation, with sentiment in the encampment generally split along two lines: those who want to draft focused demands about the unequal distribution of wealth in the United States; and those who want the protest to remain amorphous and to grow through spectacle.

A small grassroots political party suggested the protesters could call for a 50-cent Wall Street stock-trade surcharge, which the party's founder told United Press International would boost the U.S. economy at least $350 billion a year. "The Republicans say we don't want to spend more money because it will incur more debt," Light Party founder Da Vid Raphael said. "So where is the money? On Wall Street."

On October 1, former Obama adviser Van Jones announced he, and other liberals would launch an "October Offensive" to counter the right wing Tea Party movement that would center around the Wall Street protests.

Political views and goals of protesters

The movement is centred upon the statement: "the one thing we all have in common is that We Are The 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%," on the website OccupyWallSt.org. The protests have brought together people of many political positions including Democrats, libertarians, anarchists, and socialists. Religious beliefs vary as well including, but not limited to, Christians, Jews, Muslims, and atheists. The protesters' messages seem to be varied with a variety of left wing demands such as raising taxes on the rich, raising taxes on corporations, ending corporate welfare, support for trade unionism, and protecting Medicare and Social Security in their traditional forms.

Chronology of events

Timeline

Main article: Timeline of Occupy Wall Street

September 17 saw the beginning of the Occupy Wall Street gathering. An estimated 1,000 people attended on the first day. NYPD police officers prohibited protesters from erecting tents, citing loitering rules. This led to masses of people walking up and down Wall Street and gathering in Zuccotti Park between Broadway and Church streets and Liberty and Cedar Streets.
A speaker addresses the crowd in Zuccotti Park on September 17, 2011
On September 19, the stock market opened on Wall Street for regular business. Many major news sources began to publish articles on the occupation and Occupy Wall Street caught some mainstream media attention across a wide variety of sources. By Tuesday night the protesters numbered around 150, though there were more during the day.
On September 23, the action at Liberty Square, across the street from finance hub One Liberty Plaza, continued. The Colbert Report satirized the protests and major newspapers including The Guardian and the New York Times covered the protests.
On September 27, in a show of frustration over collective bargaining failures, seven hundred United and Continental Airlines pilots, along with others from the Airline Pilots Association, demonstrated in front of Wall Street in New York. The pilots were in uniform, and walked in formation carrying signs that read, "What's a pilot worth? It depends on your perspective."
On September 29, protesters in San Francisco attempted to occupy Citibank, Chase, and attempted to enter a Charles Schwab financial institution.

On Saturday, October 1, more than seven hundred Occupy Wall Street protesters were reported arrested while blocking the Brooklyn-bound side of the Brooklyn Bridge. Protesters also gathered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Seattle to express their solidarity with the movement in New York.

Incidents with police

The protesters marched toward police station and various other targets

First arrests

The New York Police Department have made arrests during the protests:

Four protesters were arrested for wearing masks.
One protester was arrested for crossing a police barricade and resisting arrest.
Two protesters were arrested for entering a building belonging to Bank of America.
One protester was arrested for disorderly conduct.

At least 80 arrests were made on September 24, after protesters started marching uptown and forcing the closure of several streets. Most of the 80 arrests were for blocking traffic, though some were also charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Police officers have also been using a technique called kettling which involves using orange nets to isolate protesters into smaller groups.

Pepper-spraying incidents

On September 24 witnesses said they saw three women collapse on the ground screaming after they were pepper sprayed in the face. The incident took place near the intersection of 12th Street and University Place in Greenwich Village, during a march between Zuccotti Park and Union Square. Officials said that the protestors did not have a permit for the march. A video posted on YouTube and NYDailyNews.com shows uniformed officers had corralled the women using orange nets and one suddenly sprayed the women before turning and quickly walking away. Another woman who had been caught up in the net and pepper sprayed reported other incidents that she believed to be unnecessary use of police force. The Police Department’s chief spokesman, Paul J. Browne, said the police had used the pepper spray “appropriately." According to the spokesperson, “Pepper spray was used once after individuals confronted officers and tried to prevent them from deploying a mesh barrier — something that was edited out or otherwise not captured in the video.” Activists later published the name and contact details of the officer seen spraying the women with pepper spray, and encouraged members of the public to complain about his conduct.

The police officer who used the pepper spray was identified as Deputy Inspector Anthony V. Bologna of the New York Police Department. Bologna was appointed C.O. of New York's First Precinct in 2005, and previously faced civil rights complaints for his role during the 2004 Republican Convention held in New York City, for allegedly committing false arrest and civil rights violations.

A second video posted on the political blog Daily Kos appeared to show another pepper spraying incident. According to the photographer, who was wearing his press card, he had been on East 12th Street and saw officers drag a woman from behind a net and throw her on the ground. He photographed the scene and then started walking away when he was sprayed. Although the photographer said that he was not sure who had sprayed him, the video appears to show Bologna spraying the photographer directly in the face.

Deputy Inspector Roy Richter, head of the Captains Endowment Association, a union representing high-ranking officers, said, "Deputy Inspector Bologna’s actions that day were motivated by his concern for the safety of officers under his command and the safety of the public. The limited use of pepper spray effectively restored order without any escalation of force or serious injury to either demonstrator or police officer." New York Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said that the NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau would examine the incident, but also criticized "tumultuous" protesters whom he called "disorderly" and "intent on blocking traffic" as they marched on University Place. The use of pepper spray is primarily limited to use against those resisting arrest or for protection, but is allowed to officers with special training for use in "disorder control".

The following day the group Anonymous released a video in which they threatened the New York Police Department with the ultimatum:

We, as it is our duty to uphold the freedoms of the people will constitute a declaration of war against the NYPD if the brutality does not stop. If we hear of brutality in the next 36 hours then we will take you down from the internet as you have taken the protesters voices from the airwaves.

The 36 hours passed without incident. Both New York Police Department's Internal Affairs Bureau, and the office of the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus Vance, Jr., opened investigations on the pepper-spraying.

March on Brooklyn Bridge

On October 1, 2011, protesters set out to march across Brooklyn Bridge. The New York Times reported that more than 700 arrests were made. The police used ten buses to carry protesters off the bridge. Some said the police had tricked protestors, allowing them onto the bridge, and even escorting them partway across. Jesse A. Myerson, a media coordinator for Occupy Wall Street said, “The cops watched and did nothing, indeed, seemed to guide us onto the roadway.” However, some statements by protestors supported descriptions of the event given by police: for example, one protestor Tweeted that "The police didn't lead us on to the bridge. They were backing the up." A spokesman for the New York Police Department, Paul Browne, said that protesters were given multiple warnings to stay on the sidewalk and not block the street, and were arrested when they refused. By October 2 all but 20 of the arrestees had been released with citations for disorderly conduct and a criminal court summons.

Reactions

Media

Several commentators in the media and financial sector raised fears of unrest in the run-up to the event despite the organizers' insistence that the occupation would remain non-violent. In an interview with The New American, Ron Arnold of the Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise claimed that, "American radicals are planning hundreds of simultaneous violent uprisings to topple our system of capitalism... I'm talking about anti-capitalist terrorists in our own country." The Blaze, a conservative news website, criticized U.S. Day of Rage's involvement in the demonstration and compared the event to the violent "Days of Rage" protests in 1969. An article published in the New York Daily News described the protesters as a "bunch of spoiled brats" while another in the Boston Globe wrote that, "It’s hard to take a protest fully seriously when it looks more like a circus - some participants seem to have taken a chute straight from Burning Man - and when it’s organized by a Canadian magazine and a computer-hacking group.". An article in the Wall Street Journal wrote that, "the protests last week were a bust."

Support for the demonstration amongst mainstream liberal groups varied. Blogger Zaid Jilani, writing for ThinkProgress, wrote that the protesters' anger against Wall Street banks was not unreasonable "because Wall Street’s actions made tens of millions of people dramatically poorer through no fault of their own." The left-wing blog Crooks and Liars commented on the demonstration, with blogger Susie Madrak writing, "I have a feeling this might be a good one.". However, the liberal Mother Jones magazine was extremely critical of the demonstrations. In a September 27 article they strongly criticized the movements lack of a clear message that can carry the movement forward and the tactics of the Anonymous group. In their opinion, the movement has not yet been able to draw in a wide swath of Americans: "So far, this is more a movement for dreamers than for middle-class Americans trying to make ends meet."

Personalities

A segment on The O'Reilly Factor remarked of the occupation that, "if you put every single left-wing cause into a blender, this is the sludge you’d get." Political commentator and writer Keith Olbermann criticized mainstream media for failing to cover Occupy Wall Street, saying, "Why isn't any major news outlet covering this? ... If that's a Tea Party protest in front of Wall Street ..., it's the lead story on every network newscast." Filmmaker Michael Moore spoke against Wall Street, saying, "They have tried to take our democracy and turn it into a kleptocracy." In a segment on The Sean Hannity Show, Sean Hannity alleged that, "All the talk the protesters were giving about class warfare came directly from President Obama" while Kimberly Guilfoyle who also appeared on the segment called the protestors "people with absolutely no purpose or focus in life." Educator and author Cornel West addressed the frustrations that some critics have expressed at the protest’s lack of a clear and unified message, saying, "It’s impossible to translate the issue of the greed of Wall Street into one demand, or two demands. We’re talking about a democratic awakening. In an article in Gothamist, Michael Bloomberg criticized the protesters for lacking nuance in their arguments. Canadian writer Naomi Klein supported the protest, saying, "This is not the time to be looking for ways to dismiss a nascent movement against the power of capital, but to do the opposite: to find ways to embrace it, support it and help it grow into its enormous potential. With so much at stake, cynicism is a luxury we simply cannot afford."

Rapper Lupe Fiasco donated tents and a mobile sound system for the occupation; he also wrote a poem to help inspire the protesters. Comedienne Roseanne Barr spoke to protesters during the first day of the demonstration, describing Wall Street financiers as "the people who decimated our economy and caused all the problems in the world." Susan Sarandon spoke at the demonstration saying, "I came down here to educate myself...There's a huge void between the rich and the poor in this country." Other celebrities lending their support were Russell Simmons, Anti-Flag, Salman Rushdie, Margaret Atwood, Noam Chomsky, and Radiohead.