Dozens of Occupy Wall Street protesters were arrested during the weekend as police cleared New York's Zuccotti Park, where demonstrators had gathered for the struggling movement's six-month anniversary.
The park remained closed on Sunday with a sprinkling of police surrounding it, keeping the area clear while crews cleaned up following Saturday night's protests. A sweep just before midnight, when roughly 300 demonstrators had gathered in the park, capped a da y of protests and marching in lower Manhattan.
Organiser Jose Martin, who is co-ordinating with the National Law Guild's New York City chapter, estimated police arrested 74 protesters on Saturday. Police did not have a final tally, a department spokesman said.
"Every time they use violence to put us down, it only increases the number of people that are empathetic to the cause. It adds fuel to the fire and draws attention to the movement," said Ed Needham, one of several members of the leaderless movement's press team.
"Mayor Bloomberg did us a big help last night in terms of fundraising. But it's not just about the financial aspects - it's not about people writing checks, although they will, it's about people standing up to be counted."
Inspired by the pro-democracy Arab Spring, the Wall Street protesters targeted US financial policies they blamed for the yawning income gap between rich and poor in the country, between what they called the 1 percent and the 99 percent.