It’s war!
Hundreds of Occupy Wall Street protesters — emboldened by officials backing down this morning from evicting them from their Zuccotti Park campsite for a 7 a.m. cleaning — stormed Wall Street, leaping over barriers and getting into a fracas with cops.
The throng of protesters streamed onto Broadway, blocking traffic, setting up a confrontation with police who are waiting for them on the street.
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Things turned predictably violent as cops tackled protesters and chased them up the street — forcing everyone to the sidewalks — in what turned into a melee.
“We were just marching. They’re assaulting us,” said protestor James Sinclair, 27.
Police arrested at least eight people on Beaver Street, as a throng of protesters flipped over a police scooter on Broadway.
Cuffed protesters yelled, “The whole world is watching!” Shame on you!”
Five more were arrested at Maiden Lane and Water Steeet when protesters got into a confrontation with a police officer on a scooter. A protester’s leg ended up under the officer’s scooter.
In all, 15 people were arrested as protesters marched back to the park by 8:30 a.m.
Joseph Vitulli, 32, an unemployed man from Brooklyn, said, “The city tried to intimidate us, they threatened us and tried to put us in our place. But we showed them what we are all made of and we did it without violence.
“We came together, we got the support we needed and we won. This is huge for us. We showed them that our solidarity and commitment to the cause is stronger than the threat of arrest. We’re on a roll. Nothing can stop us now.”
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Allison Schwartz 22, a waitress, said the protest will continue.
“I can’t believe it. I thought it was all over. I was so ready to be arrested,” she said. “I thought that’s what it was going to come down to. This changes everything. I’ve never been more confident that we are all going to make a difference. They’re going to need an army to stop us now. A few cops won’t make a difference.”
The brazen act comes after Deputy Mayor Cas Holloway said the owners of the private park, Brookfield Office Properties, had put off the power-washing that protesters said would kill their demonstration, which has been on since Sept. 17.
Hundreds of people crowded in to the park overnight as a sign of strength against the police who said they would escort the cleaning crews and remove any protesters who refused to leave.
Protester Nick Gulotta, 23, was happy. He originally held up a sign referring to Mayor Michael Bloomberg that said: “Bloomberg Don’t Evict Occupy Wall Street.” People cheered and clapped him on the back when he scratched out the “don’t” and replaced it with “didn’t.”
“It shows when people work together, you really can make a difference and make justice happen,” Gulotta said.
A confrontation between police and protesters, who had vowed to stay put through civil disobedience, had been feared. Boisterous cheers floated up from the crowds as the announcement of the postponement circulated, and protesters began polling each other on whether to make an immediate march to Wall Street, a few blocks away.
“Late last night, we received notice from the owners of Zuccotti Park — Brookfield Properties — that they are postponing their scheduled cleaning of the park, and for the time being withdrawing their request from earlier in the week for police assistance during their cleaning operation,” the deputy mayor’s statement said.
The New York Police Department had said it would make arrests if Brookfield requested it and laws were broken. The deputy mayor’s statement Friday said Brookfield believes it can work out an arrangement with the protesters that “will ensure the park remains clean, safe, available for public use,” it said.
Brookfield, a publicly traded real estate firm, had planned to power-wash the plaza section by section over 12 hours and allow the protesters back — but without much of the equipment they needed to sleep and camp there. The company called the conditions at the park unsanitary and unsafe.
The company’s rules, which haven’t been enforced, have been this all along: No tarps, no sleeping bags, no storing personal property on the ground. The park is privately owned but is required to be open to the public 24 hours per day.
In a last-ditch bid to stay, protesters had mopped and picked up garbage. While moving out mattresses and camping supplies, organizers were mixed on how they would respond when police arrived.
Many protesters said the only way they would leave is by force. Organizers sent out a mass email Thursday asking supporters to “defend the occupation from eviction.”
With AP