Manhattan ‘anti-greed’ protest camp continues, despite 700 arrests

Protesters speaking out against corporate greed and other grievances were yesterday maintaining a presence in Manhattan’s financial district even after more than 700 of them were arrested on Saturday during a march on the Brooklyn Bridge.

The group Occupy Wall Street has been camped out in a plaza in Manhattan’s financial district for nearly two weeks, and had orchestrated an impromptu trek across the nearby bridge over the East River to Brooklyn on Saturday afternoon.

The march shut down a lane of traffic for several hours. The majority of those arrested were given citations for disorderly conduct and were released.

In addition to what they view as excessive force and unfair treatment of minorities, the movement is also protesting against home foreclosures, high unemployment and the 2008 bailouts. Filmmaker Michael Moore and actress Susan Sarandon have visited the protesters’ camp.