Some 400 protesters part of the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations and sit-in in New York City against corporate greed were arrested on Saturday when they attempted to block traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge. Police said the march was unauthorized and the protesters were detained after stopping traffic on the bridge. On Friday, around 1,000 protesters demonstrated in front of the NYPD's headquarters against what they said was the use of excessive force by police against the peaceful demonstrators. Ready to enter its third week in New York, the protesters, who have managed to maintain a few hundred demonstrators throughout the past two weeks, called for more action from social movements across the country to help create an atmosphere that will take down corporate greed. The number of protesters, which has varied throughout the weeks, increased noticeably on Friday as rumors spread throughout social media networks that Radiohead would make an appearance. It turned out to be just that, a rumor. It's been referred to as an attempt to recreate Egypt's Tahrir Square protests or Iran's protest movement, but the continued protests on Wall Street are uniquely American in nature. They are surprisingly good spirited and the activists have articulated their demands quite well and have formed a united front for their cause. In an attempt to “copy” what many believe were successful movements in Iran and Egypt using social media, organizers are also taking to the online “airwaves” in an effort to spur change in America's financial center. Kalle Lasn, co-founder of the venerable counterculture magazine AdBusters, took to the micro-blogging website Twitter and other websites to help organize a campaign encouraging tens of thousands of Americans to have a nonviolent sit-in in lower Manhattan. The rally, dubbed #OccupyWallStreet on social networks, aims to tackle what protesters call “outrageous” greed on Wall Street, “which is hurting the American and global economy.” They argue that this greed led to the destruction of the American economy and spurred the global recession. Last week, there were reports of police interference and a few scuffles were reported on social networks, but by and large, the major networks have not reported on the protesters and their goals. Anger and resentment at American media outlets has been growing, with one protester telling Bikyamasr.com that he was “shocked and appalled that CNN and others have given us so little time. Are we not a story? Are our demands not for America? I don't get it.” New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg characterized Wall Street protesters as misguided, saying their demonstrations are targeting working class people whose jobs are tied to the financial sector, not the rich. “The protesters are protesting against people who make $40,000 to $50,000 a year who are struggling to make ends meet. That's the bottom line,” Bloomberg said on his WOR 710 radio show Friday. BM
