Thousands of people massed around Wall Street to start a citywide day of demonstrations marking the protest movement’s two-month anniversary, blocking streets and sidewalks Thursday morning and facing an army of police.
Occupy Wall Street protesters encountered police barricades at the entrances to Wall Street, and some sat on the ground or linked arms to block commuters trying to reach the area for the start of the work day.
Some of the police hit and shoved protesters in an effort to clear the way, and one woman pinned to the ground by police was bleeding from her mouth. At least 20 people have been arrested so far.
Police at some locations checked identification before allowing workers to cross onto Wall Street, and protesters endeavored to make the start of the business day difficult for office workers in the area.
“I’m hoping they see that they are being held accountable to the 99%,” said Katie Ferrari, a 23-year-old protester, who said she had been linking arms with others to stop workers from passing a barricade at Hanover Street.
Ms. Ferrari, a Queens resident who works as an artist and graphic designer, said police moved aggressively to clear the sidewalk, pushing and knocking over some protesters.
Stojan Dragovich, 45, who owns a marketing business on Wall Street, stood at the same blocked intersection for more than 15 minutes, trying to get to his office. “I’m just waiting. It caught me by surprise,” he said with a grim nod. “I hope I can get in. We need to work.”
At the intersection of Broadway and Wall Street, protesters came to standstill and obstructed all pathways. “Mic check, mic check,” yelled one man, using the activists’ method for spreading information. “We have succeeded in successfully closing Wall Street.” The crowd responded with chants of “Shut it down, shut it down!”
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