bed in for the long haul:
Demonstrators show their intentions by setting up makeshift camps, pharmacies... and even a library
- Occupy Wall Street protest spread to Boston, Los Angeles and Chicago
- Mayor Bloomberg tells New York protesters that others should be able to walk down the street 'unmolested'
- More than 1,000 had marched to New York Police Department headquarters to protest against 'heavy-handed' response to the demonstration
Reading while protesting: Mandy Henk (centre) of Green Castle, Indiana sorts books in a make-shift library in Zuccotti Park. She travelled from Indiana when she saw an advertisement online for an Occupy Wall Street librarian
New York City police are braced for a weekend of unrest in the Financial District, with the Occupy Wall Street protest showing little sign of dissipating as it moves into its third straight week.
People have travelled from all over the country to voice their anger at the 2008 bank bailouts, rising numbers of foreclosures and persistently high unemployment.
Protesters signalled their intention to keep a presence in Zuccotti Park, just outside Wall Street, by setting up larger camps of mattresses and sleeping bags, and laying out a basic library, newspaper stands, pharmacies and I.T. hubs.
Yesterday, the Occupy Wall Street protesters marched several blocks north to the NYPD headquarters and demonstrated there for about two hours.
Critics have accused officers of being heavy-handed, saying they have roughed up people who did nothing wrong. The NYPD has disputed that claim.
Protesters also say they're upset about reports from The Associated Press that an NYPD intelligence unit has sought to infiltrate the city's Muslim community.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg addressed the demonstrations on the WOR 710 radio show on Friday and sought to undermine the focus of their ire.
He: 'The protesters are protesting against people who make $40,000 to $50,000 a year who are struggling to make ends meet. That�s the bottom line.'
When asked how the NYPD would handle protests, Mayor Bloomberg said that while people have the right to protest, others also have the right 'to walk down the street unmolested.'
I.T. hub: Occupy Wall Street protesters work on laptops in Zuccotti Park today
Demonstrations have sprung up in other parts of the U.S., with an event in Boston today, called Take Back the Block, attended by at least 1,500 people.
An Occupy Chicago movement has emerged, with nearly 100 people gathering in front of the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank. The protests have been peaceful and no arrests have been reported.
Occupy Los Angeles protests which have also been small in numbers, has called for a march today at 10am from Pershing Square downtown to City Hall.
The increasing presence of more affluent-looking demonstrators is fuelling questions over whether this is the moment a frustrated middle America is uniting for a national uprising.
The protest encampment in Zuccotti Park in downtown Manhattan is festooned with placards and anti-Wall Street slogans.
Celebrities from film-maker Michael Moore to actress Susan Sarandon have stopped by to show solidarity.
Grungy youths sleeping on the street, topless women waving signs stating 'I love this country', and ageing hippies have won their share of national headlines for their cries of rebellion.
But among these protesters are also men wearing suits and mothers who have driven in from the suburbs.
Julien Harrison, an aspiring teacher, was among the frustrated masses, travelling from Portland, Maine to voice his frustration. Mr Harrison, who said his student debt amounts to $50,000, has only been able to find only manual labour since getting his master's degree.
He told VOA News: 'Of course, they�re laying off teachers all over the country,' he said. 'It�s getting more and more competitive. I just came from Portland. There�s people with Ph.Ds, masters, undergraduate degrees competing to be a barista at a coffee shop.'
The 'people powered movement for democracy' - inspired by the Egyptian Tahrir Square uprising and the Spanish acampadas - has been targeted by critics who say the rallies, thanks to a vague list of demands and disorganised leadership, will be only a footnote in the history of middle America's growing frustration with unemployment and a dismal economic forecast.
But demonstrators say otherwise.
Susie and Artie Ravitz stand next to Carlson. Retirees from Easton, Pennsylvania, told the Huffington Post they drove to lower Manhattan to add numbers to the uprising.
'The main thing is to draw attention to the disparities,' she said. 'The rich and the greedy are taking the country down. It's really a discouraging time.
'You have young people with college degrees left out in the cold, unable to find jobs. I have kids and grandchildren. I really worry what their lives are going to be like.'
Ben Yost, a 36-year-old social worker from Brooklyn, was spotted by the website waving a sign with check marks next to: WAR IN IRAQ. RECESSION. UNEMPLOYMENT. WAR IN AFGHANISTAN. Then a question: WHO'S MAKING MONEY? WALL STREET PROFITEERS.
Suited up: Luther Green of Brooklyn, New York and other demonstrators opposed to corporate profits on Wall Street rally at Zuccotti Park in the Financial District on Friday
He said of the movement: 'We need to just get a conversation growing and build a community and figure out how to get some of the money out of the corporations and back to the people who deserve it.'
Smaller protests have also sprouted in other cities, including Boston, Chicago and San Francisco.
Marty Goodman, a unionized subway worker, said, 'Last year we had 900 of our members laid off... These are our issues too: Wall Street, the banks, layoffs, the struggle that these young people are spearheading is our struggle too.'
Among those pledging solidarity were the United Federation of Teachers and the Transport Workers Union Local 100, which has 38,000 members. The unions could provide important organizational and financial support for the largely leaderless movement.
On Friday, demonstrators who camped out for fourteen straight days gathered once again to march to police headquarters over what they viewed as excessive force used against demonstrators, minorities and Muslims.
Last week, police arrested 80 people during a march to the bustling Union Square shopping district, the most arrests from a demonstration since hundreds were detained outside the Republican National Convention in 2004.
Uniformed: New York Police Department officers walk in the street as demonstrators march to One Police Plaza, headquarters of the NYPD, on Friday
A police commander used pepper spray on four women at that march, and a video of the incident went viral on the Internet, angering many protesters who vowed to continue their protests indefinitely.
Police have said pepper spray was a better alternative than night sticks to subdue those blocking traffic.
Reports of police brutality have prompted military veteran to join the fray.
A thread on Reddit.com from from user theenemywasme incided nearly 2,000 comments on Friday after his call to 'protect the people and the constitution' of the U.S. by acting as a 'first line of defense' between police officers and peaceful protesters.
'I'm heading up there tonight in my dress blues. So far, 15 of my fellow marine buddies are meeting me there, also in Uniform,' the post reads.
'I want to send the following message to Wall St and Congress: I didn't fight for Wall St. I fought for America. Now it's Congress' turn.'
By early Friday, more than 500 people on Friday were gathered ahead of the start of the planned late afternoon march to One Police Plaza, the centre of police operations, in downtown Manhattan.
Online flyers for Friday's march read: 'No to Stop-and-Frisk in Black & Latino neighbourhoods' and 'No to Spying and Harassment of Muslim Communities.'
Call to action: Demonstrators from the Occupy Wall Street campaign listen to speakers in Zucotti Park near the financial district of New York on Friday
The crowd was boosted by an announcement that the rock band Radiohead would perform at 4pm. Later, organizers posted a brief statement on their website, saying, 'Radiohead will not being playing. This was a hoax. Please accept our apologies.'
'We heard about Radiohead coming here on Facebook,' said Alegra Felter, a 34-year-old teacher from Brooklyn who was among the disappointed rock fans.
By 5pm the march had yet to start as more people gathered, spilling out of the plaza onto nearby streets, blocking traffic and making it hard for Wall Street executives and workers walking to subways.
Asked on his weekly radio show on Friday whether the protesters could stay indefinitely at the private park they call their base, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, 'We'll see.'
