Story highlights
The latest arrests include disorderly conduct and resisting arrest
The protests started September 17 in lower Manhattan
They are aimed at drawing attention to the role of financial interests in the spiraling economy
About 80 people were arrested on the eighth day of protests in New York on Saturday, the greatest number since demonstrations started near Wall Street.
Earlier arrests in the week totaled about 20 on previous days for similar charges, according to New York City Deputy Commissioner Paul J. Browne.
The latest arrests include disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration and assaulting a police officer, according to Browne.
The protests started September 17 in lower Manhattan and are aimed at drawing attention to the role powerful financial interests played in America’s spiraling economy.
“We’ve got a whole bunch of people sitting in Washington that can’t figure it out,” said organizer Bill Csapo.
The mission is for ” 20,000 people to flood into lower Manhattan, set up beds, kitchens, peaceful barricades and occupy Wall Street for a few months,” the official “Occupy Wall Street” website read.
By Saturday, the site had a series of updates on arrests, including the exact location of a police van holding arrestees. One was described as having a “very bad concussion, possibly life threatening” and urged participants to demand medicare care for those affected.
“It’s just letting people know that it’s going on,” Csapo said on the website. “We need to call the police and tell them to let these people go.”
CNN called police officials, but they declined to comment further on the extent of injuries or specific use of force. But descriptions by the website and some protesters present affirm the use of mace and Tasers.
One midtown resident, Ryan Alley, claims he wasn’t aware of the protests until he found himself among them. He said he was penned in by police while standing near a group of protesters, pushed against a wall and nearly arrested.
“They turned our backs, put us against the wall,” Alley said. “They’re being very aggressive … half the people here have no idea what’s going on … I’m actually very ashamed to be a New Yorker.”
One woman with bloody lips stood with her hands zip-tied behind her back.
“I wasn’t doing anything and I was punched!” she called out to spectators.
Csapo says the organization is worried about NYPD activity after nightfall.
Despite the concerns, the “resistance continues,” the group says.
“We’re occupying that square. We’re not going anywhere,” Csapo said about their new Liberty Plaza location near the former World Trade Center.
