Occupy The New Year: Hundreds Clash With NYPD At Zuccotti Park On Last Day Of 2011

Occupy Wall Street planned a New Year's Eve celebration at Zuccotti Park last night, saying on its Facebook event page, "Bring a drum! Bring your instrument! Arrive at the park by 10pm. In the 2 hours before, we will reclaim our park and the area around it. At the New Year, we will raise the 99%!" And the evening ended up involving a small tent being temporarily erected, protesters tearing down the police barricades, and a confrontation with police that resulted in numerous arrests. Oh, and there was pepper spray, too—happy 2012, people!

Newyorkist, who was at Zuccotti Park, exhaustively Tweeted the evening, "There is a small tent in Liberty. Toy sized. Police tried to remove. Ppl locked arms around it," "Police turning ppl away from park. Is it closed, I asked. No, one said. Can ppl come in? No, same said. Who's enforcing it? No one answered," "Just spoke w/ Captain Duffy of NYPD. Tells me NYPD closed park because 'going to be impending arrests. We don't want anymore ppl inside,'" "Officer told man who asked, as soon as tent is put away, Zuccotti Park will reopen," "Now 25 ppl circling park, chanting "we are unstoppable another world is possible," and "Via mic check: deal discussed btw mom, kids w/ tent and NYPD. Hand tent over & police will open park. Kids to personally hand tent over."

Then, some time after a Noise Demonstration outside the Metropolitan Correctional Center, protesters started to tear down the metal barricades set up around the park, and things turned aggressive. The Daily News reports, "Scuffles erupted between demonstrators and police, with one protester busted after an officer was slightly injured with a pair of scissors, police said. The officer was taken to Bellevue Hospital, and protesters said the police responded with pepper spray." (The Post says this occurred around 11:30 p.m.) And according to CityRoom:

As midnight approached, the hundreds in Zuccotti Park shouted “Whose year? Our year!”

Just before 1:30 a.m., security guards and police officers entered the park, where only about 150 people remained. A line of officers pushed protesters from the park and led about five people out in handcuffs. One officer used two hands to repeatedly shove backwards a credentialed news photographer who was preparing to document an arrest.

A police commander announced through a megaphone that the park, which is normally open 24 hours a day, was closed until 9 a.m., but did not provide a reason. A few moments later, officers told the crowd that had just been moved from the park that the sidewalks surrounding Zuccotti Park were also closed, and directed people across Broadway.

Just before the park was cleared, about 200 protesters marched north through SoHo and into the East Village. At 13th Street and 2nd Avenue, officers surrounded dozens of protesters walking on the sidewalk around 3:00 a.m. and began arresting some of them.

Here's video around midnight from Zuccotti Park:

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