Occupy Wall Street Calls for An "American Spring"

Over the March 24 weekend Occupy Wall Street activists held a "Let Freedom Spring" march to protest police brutality and call for the resignation of NYPD commissioner Ray Kelley. The march started in Zuccotti Park, swelling in size as it made its way to One Police Plaza. Councilmen Jumaane Williams and Ydanis Rodriguez were out in front, holding a Stop Violence banner. The crowd grew from a few hundred to close a thousand as they made their way to Union Square, chanting anti- police slogans. The mood sea-sawed from playful to hostile, heating up in the narrow streets of NOLITA where protesters took to the streets. There were over a dozen arrests including that of 16 year old, Mesiah Burcuaga who was arrested, then in her own words "de-arrested when the crowd pulled her from police custody pushing her down the block" to then find herself violently re-arrested. (Here is a video clip or her recounting her arrest) She was thrown to the ground and then hauled off by her shoulders while protesters yelled at the police to stop hurting her.

Mesiah Taken Away by the NYPD

At Union Square all was calm until shortly before midnight, the time when police and protesters have a been having a nightly showdown. Since March 17, the six-month anniversary of OWS has made the park its' base of operations. The police have been enforcing a new midnight curfew to make sure another Zuccotti Park-type encampment cannot be established. The protesters have turned the curfew into street theater, taunting the police with donuts, and playing cat and mouse with them. Saturday night, once temperatures dropped and the crowd thinned, the police used barricades as shields as they charged the protesters, moving them off the sidewalk and further away from 14th Street. The massive show of force seemed less effective as crowd dispersal than the cold rain that ended the confrontation.

Occupy Wall Street's winter hibernation is over. But last weekend, its' message against corporate greed and social injustice was drowned out by an anti-police sentiment.

Check out my latest story/slide show on Occupy Wall Street's Spring Training on the Atlantic's site.   To see more images from this series check out a set on Flickr 

Occupy Wall Street March on March 23rd

Also please watch video clips from the weekend-
Street theater in Union Square Park- Dicey rapping to police  
Protesters take the street in NOLITA during an anti police brutality march  
Police pushing protesters off sidewalk with barricades at Union Square  
Spring Training in Zuccotti park:
Love is the Answer
Civilian Technique 
Nicole Carty Teaching the Group 

Spring Training in Zuccotti Park

OWS Protester

Protester wearing a hoodie honoring Trayvon Martin

Anti- police sentiment at Union Square 

Photographing Occupy Wall Street for 5 Weeks in NYC

Snow covers Tents and Sculpture in Zuccotti Park in October

Charlie Gaeta and Jess Wood in Fox New reporter costumes

LINK TO RECENT INTERVIEW  FROM FOX 8 MORNING SHOW in N.O. 
Rob Masson asks me about OWS





In the five weeks I covered Occupy Wall Street, I watched the movement grow and spread around the world. Last week in NYC, protesters took to the streets after ex-Marine Scott Olsen was injured by the Oakland police when they broke up Occupy Oakland's encampment. Violence against protesters further strengthened the activists' resolve. Those in Zuccotti Park braved an October snowstorm and two days later joined in the Greenwich Village Halloween parade.
The movement continues to evolve. In the 47 days since the protest began, OWS has changed the national dialog from the deficit to economic inequality. People are switching to credit unions and investigating banking options in record numbers.
Check out my recently updated set on Occupy Wall Street my flickr 
A video of Marine,  Sgt. Thomas explaining why he thinks participating in OWS is important
and A video of the Drunken Wife, playing in the Halloween Parade while marching in the OWS contingent.

Protest sign on the bottom of  pizza Box in Zuccotti Park

OWS protesters in NYPD costumes at the NYC Halloween Parade

OWS protester as dressed as a foreclosed home

OWS protester dresses as Jesus in the NYC Halloween Parade

Peter Rostusky with Pipe-cleaner 99% glasses in the Halloween Parade

Occupy Wall Street Weekend in NYC

Victory Sign in Zuccotti Park after Mayor Backs Down

On Friday, 10/14, protesters took to the streets early in the morning after plans to remove them in order to clean up Zuccotti Park were called off. Thousands had come out to protect the protesters from being evicted. Since the protest began on September 17,  the marchers for the most part have  stayed on the sidewalks, but  after the stand-off everyone was expecting was diffused, protesters took over the streets Friday morning. Cops enforced crowd control by running a line of motorcycles up behind the marchers and making some arrests, which did not dampen the jubilant mood of the day.

Man cuffed after being run over by NYPD bike

Man after getting fitted for free suit looks in mirror

 Saturday, October 15th was a day of international protests inspired by Occupy Wall Street.  New York City demonstrators turned out in the thousands to occupy Times Square after a number of other protests around the city. I started the day at Zuccotti Park, where people were suited up in business attire donated  by a group called Wall-Suits. I followed the protesters on a march through the financial district, where Chase headquarters and a smaller branch were targeted. A splinter group remained at the branch and shouted out demands for people to close their Chase accounts.  Protesters had their say until higher-ups in white shirts told them  to move on.
A demonstration at the Astor Square Chase branch ended without incident, but 24 were arrested at City Bank on LaGuardia Place when the protesters entered the bank. After rallying in Washington Square, protesters made their way to Times Square. The area was already packed with supporters by the time the core OWS group arrived. The police dealt with the steady flow of new arrivals  by putting up more and more barricades,  causing confusion and making the flow of human traffic almost impossible. Protesters, tourists and locals found the barricades objectionable. A tense situation ensued since no one knew in which direction to move, leading to a breakdown of the otherwise peaceful demonstration. At 46th Street, protesters and police clashed. The police pulled out all the stops, sending in officers on horseback and riot police. From an elevated vantage point, I photographed the crowd challenging the police. The police barricaded themselves in the middle of the street. For a few moments it seemed like anything could happen as the horses rode toward the crowd.

Police send reinforcements

The news that the media was reporting that OWS had successfully occupied Times Square drew wild cheers. To celebrate, many moved on to Washington Square Park.  On Sunday, Zuccoti Park was again thronged with people. While some important unions, city board members, and politicians support the movement, the Bloomberg administration still sees OWS as a nuisance to the city and suggests it is just a matter of time before Zuccotti Park is cleared. But despite the nay-sayers, OWS is a force to be reckoned with. Some 900 OWS-inspired demonstrations around the world attest to its power. The movement has started a dialog long overdue in American politics as the country's wealth continues to grow only for the top 1%.

To see more images from my OWS coverage check out my set on Flickr
and collection available through Corbis

Protestors telling people to close their accounts

Protestor at Chase Plaza holding sign for police woman to read

OWS protester in Washington Square Park

"Occupy Wall Street Movement Goes World Wide" on news feed at Times Square