Last week we learned that the NYPD and the FBI attempted to glean information on the May Day protests by executing bench warrants on people they believed were involved with planning Occupy Wall Street demonstrations and interrogating them. One of those people, who goes by the pseudonym Shawn Carrié, spoke to WNYC about how he was detained by the NYPD on May Day for over 13 hours on a warrant for a public urination charge that didn't belong to him. more ›

The Occupy Wall Street protests have been some of the most well-documented political demonstrations in history—with the ubiquity of cell phone cameras, almost every protester is also a photographer, and the NYPD has a special unit equipped with video cameras too. So there's no shortage of footage from Tuesday's May Day actions—for the armchair activist, here are some more videos that offer a visceral view of violent arrests and alleged vandalism. The first and longest shows a big scuffle between police and anarchists at the start the Wildcat march: more ›

Shortly after yesterday's May Day rally in Union Square, we witnessed what we could only assume were three plainclothes NYPD officers detain a woman and search her bag, before leading her through the crowd and into police custody. Several times the officers are asked to identify themselves, and refuse. According to the NYCLU's Associate Legal Director Christopher Dunn, plainclothes officers must identify themselves by name, rank, and shield number upon request, per the department's patrol guide. more ›

May Day wasn't just about protests. Because New York contains multitudes, there were a number of other events going on yesterday, at least one of which involved drinking dozens of decadent fancy cocktails in the Bowery Hotel. After all, May is one of the big months for food and drink events in the Big Apple. more ›

Over 50 protesters [Ed: as of 2 p.m. today the count is 97] were arrested yesterday during a series of demonstrations organized by Occupy Wall Street to commemorate May Day. Prematurely dubbed a "dud" by Reuters, the long series of events that spanned many hours and much of the city itself culminated in tens of thousands of union members, students, and other demonstrators marching at a snail's pace down Broadway. Later that night, several thousand protesters massed at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Plaza in Lower Manhattan before the police forced them to disperse or face arrest. more ›

Multiple Occupy Wall Street marches have converged in Union Square for a rally and concert by Tom Morello, Das Racist, Dan Deacon, Immortal Technique and other performers. Here's live-streaming video: more ›

At least six people were arrested after hundreds of protesters streamed through the streets of Chinatown, SoHo, and eventually the West Village in a march that began with several violent arrests at Sarah Roosevelt Park and ended at Washington Square Park. For much of the march, the NYPD kept its distance as the demonstrators, many clad in black with their faces covered, overturned trash cans and newspaper boxes, and dragged NYPD barricades out into the street. more ›

It's long been standard practice for police to conduct surveillance of protesters preceding major demonstrations, so it comes as no surprise that some activists and anarchists affiliated with Occupy Wall Street received a little visit from concerned members of the New York Police Department yesterday, on the eve of today's May Day General Strike. On the Anarchist News message board, one person who promises that "May Day means revenge," explains what happened: more ›

Yesterday, envelopes containing a suspicious white powder were sent to seven Manhattan locations: Five were Wells Fargo branches; one was the headquarters of JP Morgan Chase; and another was the mail sorting room for Mayor Bloomberg. Hazmat teams were dispatched to the various locations, but ultimately the police found the substance to be corn starch. However, some of the envelopes did contain a note, with the words, "Happy May Day," and "This is a reminder that you are not in control. Just in case you needed some incentive to stop working. We have a little surprise for you. Think fast." more ›

There's a decent chance that tomorrow your Twitter feed will be full of breathless updates from chaotic protest and the internet will ooze images of civil unrest. But what if you can't afford to strike or risk arrest at a protest, but are still intrigued by May Day and want to see what it's about? Here are just a few of the many events going on across the city. more ›

On Friday a tipster sent us an email noting that several hundred NYPD officers had been conducting training exercises on Randall's Island in preparation for May Day's protests. While the sources of other journalists confirmed that information, Mayor Bloomberg declined to go into specifics today when asked about the training by the Voice. "We are prepared for everything we can think of all the time. Our tactics are something that we don't talk about in advance for obvious reasons." Occupy's wide range of scheduled events, both "official" and covert, promise to spread the department's resources from Lower Manhattan to Midtown. more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] An NYCLU legal observer was arrested during an OWS march in front of an MTA building in Lower Manhattan yesterday. This reporter was standing 20 yards north of the incident and didn't witness the arrest, but videographer Tim Pool captured Deputy Inspector Johnny Cardona speaking forcefully to the legal observer, then pulling her into the street by her arm to be arrested. Cardona is best known for punching protester Felix Rivera-Pitre in the face for seemingly no reason at a demonstration on October 14 of last year. more ›

On May 1st, Occupy Wall Street is planning what protesters hope will be a galvanizing "General Strike," with demonstrations and marches happening throughout the city. The May Day actions have been planned for months, and could bring a new burst of momentum to the movement—at the very least, you can expect plenty of arrests and a big turnout in Union Square, where Tom Morello, Das Racist, Dan Deacon and others are scheduled to perform. more ›

Occupy Wall Street's funds are getting tighter. According to the General Assembly's website there's roughly $44K in a general fund and $90K in a bail fund for the massive protests planned for May 1. It doesn't appear that the totals include the cash to be donated from a group of wealthy backers (including the founders of Ben & Jerry's) but concerns over lack of funding somewhat belie the point of OWS. more ›

Well, three weeks was a pretty long run, right? Shepard Fairey's (illegal?) SoHo mural finally got tagged last night. Gothamist's Jen Carlson was at the scene yesterday, saying, "This must have happened late last night. I was over there around 9 and made a point to stop and look to see if there were any tags, but it looked totally clean." The work is signed "YOLK" in one corner. So, is this a possible hit on Fairey from NIMBY local taggers, or do they just not appreciate homages to Russian Constructivism? [Via EVGrieve] more ›

Yesterday's May Day protests drew over 5,000 marchers from across the city, and from across the political spectrum. Most were there to protest Arizona's new immigration bill, with some signs even likening Arizona Governor Jan Brewer to Hitler. Demonstrator Britta Schultz told WABC, "A person like me for example, would probably not be stopped, just because I'm blonde I look like an American although I'm an immigrant, but a person of a different color or looking Hispanic would be stopped." more ›

Anger over Arizona's new Immigration bill is expected to draw millions of protesters at May Day rallies around the country today. Tens of thousands of New Yorkers are expected to show up at protests taking place across the state, including two gatherings in Manhattan at Union Square and Foley Square. Chung-Wha Hong of the New York Immigrants Coalition said, "What happened in Arizona that legally sanctions racial profiling and makes it a crime to be non documented has set off a national spark." more ›

On Wednesday we thought Shepard Fairey's mural on Houston Street was pretty much done, but it wasn't... until now! We're told sometime around 9 p.m. last night the piece was completed... but it really doesn't look much different from Wednesday's shot. more ›

There's so much going on across the Ist-a-Verse that it's almost impossible to keep track these days. Fortunately, we do it so you don't have to! more ›

FILM: Who doesn't like a rendez-vous? Tonight come to Rendez-Vous with French Cinema. The event is in its 12th year and will introduce you to what's been playing on Parisian movie screens. Tonight is the first night and Olivier Dahan’s La Vie en Rose plays - the film will educate you on French legend Edith Piaf. more ›

Leaving Employees Only one night, a friend asked, if we can't afford these drinks -- and don't go in expecting anyone to buy them for us -- why do we go to these places? It's not rhetoric. It is really expensive. And we don't like the people in the bars. We're our favourite lushes and we already know where we live. more ›

If you aren't in Indio, California this weekend then you aren't seeing Nine Inch Nails, the Arcade Fire or Spoon. You also aren't going to be suffering from heat stroke in a desert and buying $8 bottles of water, so we think you made a wise decision to skip Coachella. This weekend in New York we say goodbye to April, which if the old saying is correct - no more rain! Right? So throw away your umbrella and head to the May Day Festival in Tompkins Square Park this Sunday. And in the meantime, check this stuff out: more ›