Zuccotti Park protesters vow to continue

Protesters who have been camping out in Manhattan's Financial District say their movement has grown and become more organized, and they have no intention of stopping as they move into their third week, following the second weekend in a row of mass arrests.

More than 700 people were arrested Saturday as the group trekked to the Brooklyn Bridge. Some of the protesters said they were lured onto the roadway by police, or they didn't hear the calls from authorities to head to the pedestrian walkway.

Police Sunday countered that no one was tricked into being arrested, and those in the back of the group who couldn't hear were allowed to leave.

The NYPD Sunday released video footage to back up its stance. In one of the videos, an official uses a bullhorn to warn the crowd. Marchers can be seen chanting, "Take the bridge."

NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said that of the most recent arrests, the vast majority had been released. Eight people were held, three because of outstanding warrants and five others who refused to show any identification.

Robert Commiso, 48, of Brooklyn, said he was briefly detained Saturday as he marched on the Brooklyn Bridge roadway after the size of the crowd pushed people out of the pedestrian walkway.

"Clearly they [the NYPD] don't intimidate us," he said Sunday at Zuccotti Park, a private plaza off Broadway where the Occupy Wall Street protest continues. "We're still here."

The demonstration started out small last month, with less than a dozen college students spending days and nights in the park.

It has grown sizably, however, both in New York City and elsewhere as people in other communities across the country display their solidarity in similar protests.

The event has drawn protesters of diverse ages and occupations who say they are speaking out against corporate greed, social inequality, global climate change and other concerns.

"They thought we were going to leave and we haven't left," Kira Moyer-Sims, 19, of Portland, Ore., said of city officials. "We're going to stay as long as we can."

Browne said the NYPD wouldn't be changing its approach to handling the protest, that it would continue regular patrols and monitoring but not assign additional officers. Police officers have been a regular sight at the plaza.

"As always, if it is a lawful demonstration, we help facilitate. And if they break the law, we arrest them," Browne said.

Gatherings elsewhere included one in Providence that attracted about 60 people to a public park. The participants called it a "planning meeting" and initially debated whether to allow reporters to cover it.

In Boston, protesters set up an encampment across the street from the Federal Reserve Building.

The New York City protesters have spent most of their time in the plaza, sleeping on air mattresses, holding assemblies at which they discuss their goals and listening to speakers, including celebrity activist Michael Moore and Princeton University professor Cornel West.

On the past two Saturdays, though, they marched to other parts of the city, which led to tense standoffs with police. On Sept. 24, about 100 people were arrested and the group put out video which showed some women being hit with pepper spray by a police official.

With Emily Ngo