16 Nov, 2011
Laurie Penny: I was almost arrested too – but Bloomberg’s tactics can only galvanise protests – Commentators – Opinion – The Independent
Accredited members of the press were refused access to the square and penned where it was impossible to see what was happening. Some were arrested; others had their press passes seized. I narrowly escaped arrest as I was escorted out of the secure zone for having the temerity to update my Twitter feed. At the intersection of Broadway and Pine Street, hundreds of angry protesters linked arms and chanted to stop one of the dump trucks leaving with their belongings. Then the NYPD moved in with batons to clear them away. By the time dawn broke over Manhattan, protesters were holding an impromptu general assembly in nearby Foley Square. Most had not slept and, as some dozed by the empty fountains, some resourceful soul organised breakfast for the shell-shocked.
As I write, that meeting is still ongoing – but whatever Occupy does next, Mayor Bloomberg’s decision to evict the New York camp can only galvanise support for a movement whose momentum had begun to deflate.
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