Demonstrators From Across Nation Descend On NYC To 'Occupy' Wall Street
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- People from all over the country gathered in Lower Manhattan Saturday to voice their frustration with both the economy and Wall Street.
Thousands marched, chanted and some even did yoga, all to get their message across.
"The banks got bailed out. The people have yet to be bailed out," protester Elias Holtz told CBS 2's Ann Mercogliano.
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Holtz is a struggling freelancer who moved to New York three years ago with big dreams. Like many others, he says he's struggling to pay his college loans.
"This is just an expression of frustration with the lack of solutions by our government to address the economic crisis," he said.
The protest's centerpiece was the iconic Wall Street brass bull, which was surrounded by barriers and police officers.
"The financial sector has too overwhelming a presence in our governmental system," one protester told 1010 WINS' Terry Sheridan.
Many of the protesters looked like they were going camping instead of protesting, with backpacks, sleeping bags and tents, and handing out SpaghettiOs and peanut butter.
Word of the "Occupy Wall Street" protest spread over the Internet, and organizers hoped for a crowd that in the tens of thousands would have an overnight stay.
They marched from Bowling Green down Broadway with no shortage of police keeping a watchful eye. At one point, CBS 2 we caught a glimpse of Police Commissioner Ray Kelly driving through the controlled chaos.
Police said there were no arrests during the day, and that while no permits were sought, plans for the protest had been made public.
Police called it an orderly day.
"I'd like to stay till Tuesday or Wednesday. I have to go back to Ohio for a little bit of work, but I'm praying that the movement's so strong that I'll come back next week. I want this to be a month-long thing if possible," one protester said.
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"I'd like to stay till Tuesday or Wednesday. I have to go back to Ohio for a little bit of work, but I'm praying that the movement's so strong that I'll come back next week. I want this to be a month-long thing if possible," one protester said.
