occupy everywhere

Occupy Wall Street Evicted From Union Square

NYPD officers confront Occupy Wall Street protesters who are camping in Union Square in New York March 21, 2012.
Photo: Andrew Kelly / Reuters

The new Zuccotti Park will not be on 14th Street. A continued quest by protesters to set up a permanent encampment for the Occupy Wall Street movement was again thwarted by police last night, this time in Union Square, where demonstrators had been amassing since Saturday’s anniversary march. At midnight, dozens of cops outfitted in riot gear surrounded the park as protesters chanted, “Who do you serve? Who do you protect?” In what is by now a familiar pattern, the area was deemed closed and lined with barricades, while a standoff between police and protesters led to some scuffles and, ultimately, an empty park (until morning).

The Daily News puts the number of demonstrators around 300. “I don’t understand why we can’t be here,” one said. “Usually the park is open 24 hours. Now they want us out, because Bloomberg says so. It makes no sense.” The city was reportedly fine with a few protesters spending the night but, in a seemingly arbitrary line-drawing, “said that they cannot sit or lie down in the park if their number goes above 25.”

A live-blog from OccupyWallStreet.org says at least four people were arrested and alleges violence on the part of the NYPD, yet again. Chants included “Oppress us, we multiply!” and “Zuccotti is everywhere.”

Occupy Wall Street Evicted From Union Square