The Occupy Wall Street six-month anniversary ended in 73 arrests as the New York Police Department's calls to clear Zuccotti Park weren't heeded on Saturday, according to USA Today. Dozens of officers cleared the park as protesters descended on the spot where the Occupy movement was born. The rally, however, drew a relatively small crowd — perhaps several hundred people, according to the Associated Press — perhaps because of St. Patrick's Day celebrations.
Protesters locked arms and sat down near Wall Street as police shouted through a bullhorn for them to leave. Police then entered the park, ejected the protesters and formed a ring around the park to prevent entry. The NYPD entered the park because some protesters were reportedly setting up camps and sleeping bags, which is prohibited.
According to reports, numerous protesters shouted at the officers and one threw a glass bottle at a van that cops were using to transport arrested protesters. But Sandra Nurse, a member of Occupy's direct-action working group, said that officers treated protesters harshly. "I didn't see any sleeping bags," she said. "There was a banner hung between two trees and a tarp thrown over it … It wasn't a tent."
Despite the clampdown by the NYPD, many believe the spring will bring a resurgence to the Occupy Wall Street movement across the globe. Only time will tell if this movement continues to have legs.
Read more at USA Today and the Associated Press.