BREAKING: NYPD launches early morning raid and eviction of Occupy Wall Street protesters
Around 200 Occupy Wall Street (OWS) protesters and supporterswere arrested on Tuesday, November 15, during asurprise early morning raid and eviction of Zuccotti Park whereprotesters have been camped for two months.
The sudden police action sparked renewed debate about theprotests, free speech, and how the movement will continue withoutits physical headquarters. It also provided renewed energy to aprotest movement that had begun to plateau a bit in energy levelsas global offshoots met varying degrees of success.
It was shortly after 1 a.m. when word began to spread thathundreds of police from across the five boroughs had surrounded thepark and used a long-range acoustic device to disperse the crowd. Theannouncement came in emails and text messages as press access wasblocked, but live video feeds of the proceedings – which reportedlyincluded tear gas and police in riot gear making individual arrests- were being broadcast online.