Protestors rushing barricades in NYC

51st and 3rd
Cops have broken up the crowd into groups of 1000 and are closing in. Still, it's pretty calm and party atmosphere. From the ground you can't see what's going on, but from the rooftop update it's clear what the cops are doing.

But they've made it seem smaller than it is by doing this.

The crowd is moving up 2nd, trying to get to 1st.

Huge amounts of roads are still all blocked off and it's incrediably difficult to move around. The trains are jammed packed and are slowed. No one can get near 1st ave. Bascially tons of people are just miling around and lots don't know where to go, but it's apparently a positive attitude.

54th and 2nd
Cops on horseback rode onto the sidewalk into the crowd. Some police brutality. Someone pushed down by the police with her children, they were shoved onto the ground.

If the rooftops give a birds eye view, why aren't there people on the rooftops communicating with the crowds via cell phone and radio's telling them what is happening.

Didn't anyone think of this in the planning stage?

53rd and 3rd - Annie
15-20 cops on horseback rushes the crowd over and over, crowd chanting at them, completely trapped. They're arresting everyone who gets in the way of the horses. When they rush people, people have no place else to go.

It's black bloc and regular folks. They won't let people cross the street to get a coffee. They've taken everything down that they could stand on so they can't see above anyone.

It sounds like people are basically crushed in the crowd.

3rd and 53rd was being taken over.

UFP reported that at 3rd and 53rd police have about 3000 people packed in and have vans, but are so far only arresting certain people, breaking through the barricades to arrest individuals.

Someone was throwing water on the police.

Apparently this is very unusual because NYC is so tame recently.

50th and 3rd Ave
People are crying because they've been hit in the face with pepper spray. the person who called in turned in time to get it on his back.

There was no provocation. Crowd chanting. Several arests, beaten up women.

Whole crowd pepper-sprayed. They won't let anyone out of the pen. About 500 in the pen. Cops are trying to clear the intersection, and a circle of people around the perimeter.

People were partying, dancing, then cops started pepper spraying.

50th and 3rd
Police charging with their horses. Knocked 20 or 30 people to the ground. But restrained for the moment. Poeple are surprised that the pepper spray is being used. People are just trying to get over to the speeches, but are realizing it's hopeless.

It appears to be just a scattering technique because there's no sense to it.

56th and 2nd
Cops are arbitrarily rushing the crowd on horseback to disperse them, a running confrontation going on. They knock groups down.

The point seems to be to get people to simply 'go home' and this is what cops tell people when people ask where they can go.

I saw a horse charge broken once by a guy throwing a box full of marbles on the ground in front of them. The horses balked.

Police are arguing with a huge crowd at 2nd, all four corners filled with people but apparently the intersection is cleared, people chanting whose streets, others moving into side streets to avoid getting hurt by the horses.

50th and 3rd
Cops have people completely penned in and keep pushing on them. People are crying who have never been peppersprayed before - they didn't expect it at a peace march. City buses have been converted to make arrests. There isn't water available for medical needs.

No one is negotiating with the police, and police are dictating the situation, arresting youth in another area. A stalemate at 24th between 5th and 6th. Everyone is angry.

Police tried to block them but people got through. The rally is there now, at 3:30 pm. There is a very positive attitude there. Speakers being broadcast via cell phone from a caller into imc radio.

Mass arrests into vans happening now.

But many demonstrations still happening all over, very multicultural. 'Creative urban demonstrating.'

Reporter keeps trying to get reasons why they're arresting people, a cop actually said, "I'll figure it out when . .. "

A critical mass cd in Times Square happened. Blocked the intersection there. Then 300 riot cops came in. Unclear about arrests.