In NY, media & banks get threatening letters with white powder in envelopes; appears to be corn starch
Comments (4)BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Tuesday, May 1, 2012, 3:11 PM
TOBY TALBOT/AP
A rally in Montpelier, Vt. Occupy Wall Street protesters and other activists took to the streets for May Day.
Hundreds of activists across the U.S. joined the worldwide May Day protests on Tuesday, with Occupy Wall Street members in several cities leading demonstrations against major financial institutions.
In New York, police in riot gear lined the front of a Bank of America, facing several dozen Occupy activists marching behind barricades. “Bank of America. Bad for America!” they chanted.
About 50 demonstrators in Chicago rallied outside another of the bank’s branches. They allowed patrons to go inside, but the doorway was eventually blocked by police who placed their bicycles end to end.
Across the world, protests drew tens of thousands of demonstrators into the streets from the Philippines to Spain. They demanded everything from wage increases to an end to austerity measures.
Tuesday’s U.S. protests were the most visible organizing effort by anti-Wall Street groups since Occupy encampments were dismantled last fall. May Day protests have in recent years focused on immigrant rights.
From New York to San Francisco, organizers of the various demonstrations, strikes and acts of civil disobedience said they were not too concerned about muddling their messages. They noted that the movements have similar goals: jobs, fair wages and equality.
Organizers of Chicago’s rally said they welcomed participation from the Occupy groups. “I definitely see it as an enrichment of it,” Orlando Sepulveda said. “It’s great.”
In Los Angeles, at least a half a dozen rallies were planned. A rally was also planned in Minneapolis.
In Atlanta, about 100 people rallied outside the Georgia Capitol, where a law targeting illegal immigration was passed last year. They called for an end to local-federal partnerships to enforce immigration law.
The May Day protest was significantly smaller than last year’s, which drew about 1,000 people. Organizers said turnout last year was greater, in part, because the rally was on a Sunday, rather than during the work week.
In the San Francisco Bay Area, service on the Golden Gate Ferry was shut down as ferry workers went on strike. They have been in contract negotiations for a year in a dispute over health care coverage.
A coalition of bridge and bus workers said they will honor a picket line of at least 50 workers outside the ferry terminal. Several Occupy protesters joined them in the protest.
Organizers had backed away from earlier calls to block the Golden Gate Bridge, but scores of police — some carrying helmets and batons — lined the span during the morning rush hour nonetheless.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/occupy-wall-street-members-lead-day-protests-u-s-article-1.1070713#ixzz1tlZ83P1J
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