Police Make Arrests at Occupy LA [Updated]
Updated, Nov.17, 3:50 p.m. PDT | At least three more protesters have been arrested Thursday during a non-permitted march from City Hall back to the financial district. A number of protesters have been carried out by police officers.
The second march started around noon, after the morning activity. Police in riot gear stalled the march around Third Street and Broadway.
According to police, many of the protesters stayed on the sidewalk. When three began lingering in the intersection and blocking traffic, they were arrested.
Occupy protesters issued a statement on their Web site saying they "have no plans to leave -- we have just begun our mission."
Twenty-three protestors were arrested Thursday morning as hundreds of protesters gathered on the streets of downtown Los Angeles to join in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street Movement.
Arrestees were booked on suspicion of unlawful assembly. Bail was set at $5,000 each, according to LAPD.
The demonstrators were linking arms and chanting to demand banks to pay more taxes, be held accountable for their financial welfare and increase lending to small businesses.
Starting at the Bank of America Plaza, the demonstrators marched towards 4th Street and Figueroa.
Occupy protests in L.A. have been relatively peaceful and nonviolent in the past, but there have been reports of three protestors being "aggressively arrested" by the Los Angeles Police Department Thursday morning.
LAPD have declared the protest an unlawful assembly and have executed riot police officers to the scene.
A second round of arrests were being made around 9:30 a.m. and the first arrest was an 82-year-old woman.
Traffic was disrupted during morning rush-hour traffic and freeway exits into downtown and downtown bus routes were modified in anticipation of the protests.
Los Angeles police officers were on hand for security purposes, but specific numbers were not being released.
A second march is planned for noon from City Hall to the Wells Fargo Center.
Similar Occupy protests are planned all around the world in large European and U.S. cities.
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