Even in the midst of the celebratory atmosphere surrounding the successful defense of the main Occupy Wall Street encampment this morning, arrests took place elsewhere in New York City, and also at multiple locations across the country.
New York
Fourteen were arrested in New York during impromptu, celebratory marches on Wall Street that immediately followed the action in Zuccotti Park:
Just a few hours after protesters learned they'd be able to stay indefinitely at the lower Manhattan plaza where they've been camped out for a month, police and protesters clashed near the New York Stock Exchange, CBS News station WCBS-TV reports.[...]
Police clashed with some protesters, wielding their nightsticks and batons, WINS-AM reports. A police officer in a white shirt, possibly a captain, hurled his megaphone and wound up rolling around in the street with a protester, throwing punches. Other officers surrounded the white-shirted officer, throwing punches.
Police say the protesters were throwing bottles and bags of garbage at officers, triggering the police response, WINS-AM reports. Police say they were trying to control the situation when it got out of hand.
Police say 14 people were arrested, mostly for ignoring police commands, WCBS-AM reports. Police say that includes protesters who sat or stood in the street, obstructing traffic.
There is also shocking video of a protester being assaulted from behind by a police officer:
The protester in question, who is HIV positive, evaded arrest.
Denver
The Occupy Denver encampment was destroyed last night, with two dozen arrested:
The Colorado State Patrol said 23 people were arrested as police in riot gear moved into the Occupy Denver camp in front of the Colorado Capitol early this morning to dismantle tents and remove debris.
The initial order to disperse came shortly before 3 a.m., but arrests weren't made until after 6 a.m.
Cpt. Jeff Goodwin of the Colorado State Patrol said troopers arrested 21 people for suspicion of unlawful conduct on public land. He said that number could increase later today.
Two others were arrested by Denver police, Goodwin said. One of whom was arrested for simple assault, the other was arrested for impeding traffic.
Video of the scene:
San Diego
Arrests have begun in San Diego, and the camp was forced to move from City Hall to a nearby park:
San Diego police began to arrest Occupy San Diego protesters Friday morning for refusing to remove their tents and other property from the plaza behind City Hall.
At least one arrest was made, and police have told other protesters they will be arrested and their property confiscated. A 7 a.m. deadline was issued for property to be removed.
An estimated five-dozen protesters remain in the plaza, down from several hundred for much of the week. Police Chief Bill Lansdowne was in the plaza directing officers Friday morning.[...]
Several dozen protesters voluntarily relocated to Balboa Park after a warning Thursday night that their tents, chairs and other property had to be removed by midnight, a deadline later extended to 7 a.m.
Italy
Foreshadowing the truly global dimension of tomorrow's rallies, there was also a lot of action in Italy:
A group of students stormed Goldman Sachs's central Milan offices on Friday ahead of worldwide protests against financial inequality planned for the weekend.[...]
Protesters in Italy's financial capital also hurled eggs at the headquarters of UniCredit, the country's biggest bank.
As part of the global rally on Saturday, a demostration is scheduled to start at 1200 GMT (8 a.m. EDT) in Rome, where peaceful protests in front of the Bank of Italy continued on Friday for a third straight day.
Make sure to find and join an Occupy Wall Street solidarity group near you.