Wall Street protesters turn ire on Obama

Occupy Wall Street's outrage turned to President Barack Obama Saturday over a proposal to grant major banks broad legal immunity in foreclosure investigations in exchange for a payoff in the billions.

Calling it "a cheap deal" that would indemnify banks against further civil and criminal actions, protesters marched uptown from their base at Zuccotti Park near Wall Street to Foley Square, urging the Justice Department to quit pressing state attorneys general to agree to the deal. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman opposes the settlement.

Holding a sign that read, "Obama, don't be Wall Street's puppet," several hundred marched up Broadway, turning east at Reade Street and then into Foley Square around 3 p.m.

The NYPD corralled the protesters on sidewalks because the march did not have a city permit and kept them from addressing the crowd from the steps of the State Supreme Court building.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we need to clear the sidewalk," police lieutenants said through megaphones. Skirmishes erupted during the arrests. Marchers yelled, "Shame, shame -- the whole world is watching!"

Police said 20 people were arrested. Authorities could not immediately detail the charges. Most of the protesters headed back to Zuccotti Park by 4:30 p.m.

Earlier, Daniel Thorson of Syracuse said he and many fellow Occupy Wall Street protesters wanted to see a major bank chief executive spend time in jail as a result of the foreclosure mess.

"You send one CEO to jail and they're going to recalibrate their actions accordingly. Let people act with impunity and they will," said Thorson, 24, packing luxury goods three hours a day for a company based on Wall Street -- a job offered to him while he was staying at Zuccotti Park.

"Eleven million homeowners are underwater thanks to the banks' misconduct. They've arrested something like 3,000 people nationwide in relation to these protests that are spotlighting what banking corporations have done, and yet, not a single person at the head of a major bank that got us in this mess is prosecuted," Thorson said. "What's with that?"

With Matthew Chayes