NEW YORK—The spark that ignited in Zuccotti Park a month ago spread to the heart of the city this weekend, with thousands crowding into Times Square to protest what they call the disproportionate power of “the 1 percent.” The momentum also continued beyond the city’s boundaries, spreading to 100 cities around the country and 1,500 locations across the world, according to Occupy Wall Street’s website.
Estimates for the number of people in Times Square range from 6,000 to “tens of thousands.” The main body of protesters, about 1,000 strong, left their home base in Zuccotti Park early Saturday afternoon, weaving their way through the city and swelling by the thousands as they proceeded.
A stop at Washington Square Park added approximately 2,000 to their ranks, but they lost about 20 to arrests, as protesters swarmed Citibank at 555 La Guardia Place to close their bank accounts. Approximately 70 people were arrested over the weekend, said protest facilitators. The NYPD was still tallying the numbers and could not confirm the total by press deadline.
The same chants could be heard in dozens of languages worldwide, from London to Tokyo and Madrid. In Rome, the protest was 200,000 strong, according to the Corriere della Sera newspaper. It was a peaceful gathering, but hundreds of militant protesters known as a “black bloc” wreaked havoc, as they stormed the streets of Italy’s capital.
As camps spring up in other cities, the Zuccotti stronghold remains. The protesters implemented a new “Good Neighbor Policy” this weekend, which includes keeping the drumming to a minimum and appointing community liaisons. Brookfield, the park owner, decreed that camping and storage of personal gear is forbidden, making the protesters’ hold on their turf a tenuous one.
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