iBerkshires contributor Joe Durwin of Pittsfield drove to New York City early Friday morning for an on-the-spot look at what's happening in Zuccotti Park with the Occupy Wall Street movement.
Morning recap from OccupyWallSt:
A seemingly imminent large scale confrontation between NYPD and the Occupy Wall Street movement was averted early this morning as city officials announced that a planned evacuation of demonstrators from their home base at Zuccotti Park, ostensibly for park cleanup purposes, was postponed just before it was to begin.
Protesters with Occupy Wall Street in New York City.
This reprieve from the city came after a march to City Hall by demonstrators last night to present a petition started by MoveOn.org numbering more than 240,000 signatures, along with a flood of letters and calls received Thursday.
Thousands of demonstrators reinforced by union members, many of them alerted by an email appeal from the AFL-CIO last night, had amassed by 6 a.m., prepared to passively resist removal from the park if necessary. after general rejoicing and victory cries following the announcement to postpone from the deputy mayor, demonstrators began a march to and around the Wall Street area.
Tensions grew as protesters met with heavy police presence marching down Broadway, with small clashes breaking out at various intersections. White-shirted police, numerous mounted units and some in riot gear are warning demonstrators to keep to the sidewalks. At least 10 confirmed arrests have taken place, including some clearly bloodied protesters. N.Y. Civil Liberties Union, on hand all morning, has been reporting seeing officers punching demonstrators and is making efforts to collect any reports of police abuses from this morning's action.
A bulk of marchers returned to Zuccotti Park, where some access to the park had been blocked off by police, though the entranceat Trinity and Cedar remains open. The scene had returned to a state of relative calm at the park by around 10 a.m.
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