Approximately 50 Occupy Wall Street protesters rallied outside Bank of America this afternoon, as part of a nationwide demonstration to symbolically "foreclose" on the giant predatory behemoth. Activists intend to targetBank of America on the 15th of every month until executives break down into tears and turn every branch into a C.S.A. farmshare. Bank of America is infamous for cranking out foreclosures, and has received two bailouts from Washington totaling $45 billion; it was also the first major bank to get into the subprime-mortgagebusiness.
There were at least three arrests at today's demonstration outside the Bank of America on Greenwich Street, and protesters have now moved to Zuccotti Park, where a large number of police have also gathered. (The NYPD press office does not yet have an arrest count.) Allison Kilkenny reports that protesters have been chanting "spring is coming!" while running around wrapping things in police tape. Others are staging street theater, making a "deposit" into a mock Bank of America.
The Guardian's Ryan Devereaux said at 6 p.m., "Pretty mellow scene at Zuccotti right now. Numbers are dwindling due to the cold, protesters are good spirits, security is tolerating them." One witness reports that there "are currently more police than protesters at Zuccotti Park." But if recent history is any guide, they'll wait until most of the press has gone home before randomly arresting people for peacefully assembling in a public place.
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